Today's Tabloid News

NFL cheerleader wins $11 million, sued wrong company

A Cheerleader who thought she had won $11 million in a defamation judgment against a gossip website may have the result nullified because her lawyers sued the wrong company. Instead of suing TheDirty.com, her attorney sued an unrelated website called TheDirt.com. [More]

Miner in Tight Spot as Wife, Mistress Meet

One of the trapped Chilean miners is dreading his rescue after his wife met his secret mistress at the entrance to the San Jose mine. [More]

Older people enjoy reading negative stories about young

Older people like reading negative news stories about their younger counterparts because it boosts their own self-esteem, according to a new study. [More]

Number of illegal immigrants in US now declining

The number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in two decades — decreasing by 8 percent since 2007, a new study finds. The reasons range from the sour economy to Mexican violence and increased U.S. enforcement that has made it harder to sneak across the border. [More]

Homeless man calls 911 from hot tub, seeks cocoa

A homeless man who called 911 from the hot tub of a suburban Portland home and asked for towels, hot chocolate and a hug got arrested for trespassing instead. [More]

How panhandlers use free credit cards

What would happen if, instead of spare change, you handed a person in need the means to shop for whatever they needed? What would they buy? [More]

Police end hostage drama at Discovery Channel

Police shot and killed a man who took three people hostage, waving a gun and apparently fitted out with explosives, in the headquarters of the Discovery Channel near Washington Wednesday. [More]

Discovery building gunman spoke to NBC News

The man who held three hostages at the Discovery Communications building before he was killed by police Wednesday told NBC News in a brief telephone conversation that he was armed with several bombs he had been working on for as long as a month. Asked how he had learned to make a bomb, the man said that he knew how to weld and read widely but that he also picked up pointers from the TV show “Mythbusters.” [More]

God did not create the universe, says Hawking

God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book. [More]

Huguette Clark, the reclusive heiress, has signed a will, attorney says

One of the unanswered questions in the saga of Huguette Clark, the reclusive 104-year-old heiress, has been this: Has she signed a will directing who should inherit her wealth, a Montana copper fortune estimated at $500 million? [More]

Irish cardinal will not resign after scandals, he says

Months after the revelation that he helped cover up for one of Ireland's most notoriously abusive priests, the country's top Catholic churchman, Cardinal Sean Brady, says he has "moved on" and will not resign. [More]

John Walker Lindh seeks Ind. prison prayer ruling

American-born Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh and another Muslim inmate have asked a judge to order a federal prison to allow them and other Muslims in their highly restricted cell block to pray as a group, in accordance with their beliefs. [More]

Botox maker to pay $600M to resolve investigation

Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. [More]

Openly gay character debuts in Archie Comics

The often-quaint world of Archie Comics is set to become a lot more diverse this week. “Veronica” #202, on sale at comic book shops Wednesday, marks the debut of Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character in the publisher’s 71-year history. [More]

Couple charged with stealing from foster child

A Polk County couple faces federal charges of swindling more than $400,000 from a foster child after he received life insurance money. [More]

Adult texters catching up to teens

Grown-ups don't text as much as teens - at least not yet. A new survey suggests they may be catching up. About 72 percent of adult mobile phone users send text messages with their phones, according to a report released Thursday from the Pew Research Center. That's up from 65 percent just a year ago. [More]

Wednesday, September 1

Discovery Channel Gunman Shot, Hostages Safe

The gunman in the Discovery Channel headquarters building has been shot and killed by police who say 3 hostages were able to escape safely, according to KTLA.com. The gunman burst into the suburban Washington building about 1 p.m. wearing what seemed to be metallic canisters strapped to his front and back and waving a handgun. [More]

N.Y. man: I lost $1.3M artwork while drunk

Call it the lost art of drinking responsibly: A man entrusted with helping to sell a $1.3 million painting said it disappeared while he was in a drunken haze, according to a lawsuit filed by a co-owner of the canvas. [More]

Thief's escape route lands him in jail

A purse-snatcher's escape went awry Tuesday when he ducked into a building only to realize it was a police station, bemused police officials said. [More]

Obamas redecorate Oval Office

While the president and his family were away on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, workers installed new striped wallpaper, new sofas, reupholstered chairs, new lamps and a coffee table — and a new rug bearing quotes around its borders from famous Americans including John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. [More]

Tow truck driver accused of dragging toddlers

Police say a tow truck driver has been accused of hitting two young children as their mother pushed them across a street in a stroller then dragging the kids under the truck for about a quarter of a mile. [More]

Apple will live stream event - but not on PCs

Apple will be presenting a LIVE video stream of its announcements, but there is a catch: You must be using Apple equipment to watch the stream. Windows users need not apply. [More]

Madison to pay McDonald's $312,000 because of bridge

The city of Madison has endorsed a plan to pay McDonald's more than $300,000 to settle a 2008 lawsuit alleging that a recently constructed pedestrian footbridge has crippled business at an East Side branch of the fast food behemoth. [More]

Man Survives 40-Story Plunge From Apartment Rooftop

A New York City man who plunged 40 stories from the rooftop of an apartment building has survived after crashing onto a parked car. [More]

NYPD officer accused of refusing to help 11-year-old girl dying of asthma attack

The New York Police Department says an officer accused of not helping an 11-year-old girl dying of an asthma attack has been suspended without pay. [More]

Attacker threw acid in Vancouver woman's face

A bizarre attack sent a Vancouver woman to the hospital on Monday and police said they believe her attacker threw some kind of acid in her face. [More]

Generosity of an heiress: four homes for a nurse

Huguette Clark, the reclusive 104-year-old heiress, is known as generous toward those who care for her, including her social secretary, who received a $10 million gift. It's now clear that her longtime nurse has also been a recipient: To her, Clark has given the money to buy four homes for her family. [More]

California bill to ban plastic bags fails

California's Senate has voted down a measure that would have banned plastic bags at grocery stores. [More]

Michael Douglas reveals his cancer has spread

Michael Douglas last night revealed his throat cancer has spread beyond its original tumour and that his illness is more advanced than was first feared. [More]

BP owes back rent, oil spill command center kicked out of La. building

A parish official says a Louisiana oil spill command center is shutting down over a dispute with BP over rent and other expenses. [More]

PGA Tour suspends rule that burned Furyk for being late

PGA Tour players can sleep better now. Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced Tuesday the suspension for the rest of the season the pro-am policy that disqualified Jim Furyk from playing in last week's The Barclays. [More]

CEOs lay off thousands, rake in millions

A new report concludes that chief executives of the 50 firms that have laid off the most workers since the onset of the economic crisis in 2008 took home 42 percent more pay in 2009 than their peers at other large U.S. companies. [More]

Hasselhoff acting like 'Dancing' is a dating show

First thing he did was ask his daughters if his pro partner is single, actor tells E! Online. [More]

Tuesday, August 31

Doctor gets stuck in chimney, dies

Police say a California doctor apparently tried to get into the home of the man she had been dating by sliding down the chimney. Her decomposing body was found there days later. [More]

'Crocodile Dundee' says he can't afford back taxes

Actor Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" movie trilogy, said Tuesday he cannot afford to pay even 10 percent of what the Australian Tax Office says he owes in back taxes. [More]

California man sentenced to 11 life terms, plus 433 years in prison

A California man convicted of attacking six women has been sentenced to 11 life terms, plus 433 years in prison. [More]

Terror plot feared as Dutch detain two on US plane

Two US residents of Yemeni descent have been arrested in Amsterdam after flying in from Chicago and staging what officials fear may have been a dry run for a terror attack. [More]

Man hangs self days after death sentence lifted

A 70-year-old California inmate who had just had his death sentence lifted has hanged himself in his cell less than a week after the reprieve. [More]

Purse, cocaine not hers, Hilton told Vegas police

Paris Hilton had an explanation for police: The rolling papers, $1,300 in cash and several credit cards were hers, but not the purse they were in. [More]

CIA chief Panetta judges food on "Top Chef"

Around a long table in a windowless room, the CIA officials awaited the decision from their director, Leon Panetta. "A little too salty," the CIA chief finally said, giving thumbs down to the dish prepared by a warring team of cooks from the reality TV show "Top Chef." [More]

Rudy Giuliani's daughter due in New York City court in cosmetics shoplifting case

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's (joo-lee-AH'-neez) daughter is scheduled to make her first court appearance since being arrested on a shoplifting charge at a cosmetics store. [More]

Montana takes hard look at its drinking and driving culture

Montana has long had a reputation as a place where you could crack open a beer while driving down the interstate just about as fast as you liked. [More]

Judge: Pa. school district must pay $260,000 to family's lawyer in laptop spying case

A federal judge says a suburban Philadelphia school district embroiled in a laptop spying scandal must pay a family's lawyer about $260,000. [More]

Hunters, Conservationists Square Off Over Lead in Ammunition and Tackle

Hunters and fishermen across the U.S. are battling environmental activists over the use of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle. [More]

LeBron James seeks dismissal of lawsuit over paternity claims

A filing on behalf of basketball superstar LeBron James dismisses as "rank speculation" claims by a Washington lawyer that he is the athlete's biological father, saying the man has "delusions" about alleged family ties. [More]

Fatal bear attack highlights Ohio's lax laws on exotic pets and high number of fatal attacks

The bear that recently killed a caretaker in a Cleveland suburb was the latest example of animal violence in a state that has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them. [More]

'Dancing With the Stars' cast unveiled

After weeks of rumors, “Dancing with the Stars” officially unveiled their Season 11 cast during Monday night’s “Bachelor Pad.” [More]

Mexico captures "La Barbie" drug trafficker

Mexico captured major drug trafficker Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez on Monday in a new victory for President Felipe Calderon's high-stakes war on murderous cartels that threatens the country's image among investors and tourists. [More]

NC farm produces emerald shaped into massive gem

An emerald so large it's being compared with the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great was pulled from a pit near corn rows at a North Carolina farm. [More]

No more delays for Casey Anthony trial, judge says

The judge presiding over the case of Florida murder suspect Casey Anthony warned lawyers Monday to expect long days in her upcoming trial and no more postponements. [More]

Monday, August 30

Clemens heads to DC, this time for court

On this trip to Washington, Roger Clemens will be in a courtroom, not in Congress. His defiant stance is expected to remain the same, even if his statement is much shorter. Something along the lines of, "Not guilty." [More]

Officer Arrested in Online Prostitution Sting

A police sting targeting adult ads on Craigslist.com has ended with the arrest of a Nevada police officer on charges of soliciting an undercover police officer for sex. [More]

Injury faker caught on tape, arrested

A New York City woman has been arrested for allegedly faking an injury after a light pole knocked down by a truck missed her, police said. [More]

5-year-old boy found safe after man inadvertently picks up wrong child from Dallas school

A 5-year-old boy was permitted to leave a Love Field-area elementary school with a stranger Tuesday, in a case of mistaken identity that was initially feared to be a child abduction. [More]

BP's internal probe faults its own engineers

BP Plc's internal probe of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has placed some of the blame on mistakes by its engineers while finishing the deep sea oil well, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the report. [More]

Hitmen kill Mexican mayor in drug war state

Suspected drug hitmen killed the mayor of a small town in northern Mexico on Sunday in a region where two car bombs exploded last week and the bodies of 72 murdered migrant workers were found. [More]

Colorado governor says $9 million in pot fees helping ease $60 million fiscal emergency

Gov. Bill Ritter is using $9 million from medical marijuana registrations to help the state meet a $60 million fiscal emergency. [More]

Arizona police say gunman kills 5, then self

A gunman entered a western Arizona home and fatally shot five people, including the mother of his two children and her new boyfriend, before fleeing with the kids to Southern California where he killed himself, police said Sunday. [More]

Wright criticizes those who think Obama is Muslim

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama's controversial former pastor, accused people who wrongly believe Obama is Muslim of catering to political enemies during a fiery speech Sunday in Arkansas. [More]

Obama says economy not growing fast enough

President Barack Obama said on Sunday the U.S. economy was expanding, but not quickly enough, and there was no "magic bullet" that will fix its problems. [More]

Obama's timeline has backfired, Afghans say

The Obama administration's plan to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011 is giving a morale boost to the Taliban, Afghan officials said Wednesday, echoing remarks made by a top U.S. military official a day earlier. [More]

Coroner: Martin Short's wife died of natural causes

Martin Short's wife died relatively young - at only 58 - but her death was from natural causes, a coroner official confirms. [More]

Minnesota Mayor Arrested on Drunken-Driving Charge Before Trip to China

A Minnesota mayor is facing drunken-driving charges after he allegedly rear-ended two vehicles in one day before leaving the country on a trip to China, MyFox9.com reported. [More]

Mortgage brokers are becoming a vanishing breed

Most of the mortgage brokers that seemed to populate every office building and commercial street in cities nationwide just five years ago have vanished. [More]

5 most common misdiagnoses for men

The scary truth is that sometimes your M.D. is just plain wrong. Take these five common misdiagnoses for men, some of which could lead to facing the knife unnecessarily. A better plan? Protect yourself with the strategies outlined here, and feel better faster. [More]

Police: Burglars left behind sex tape

Police in Washington state said they identified a pair of sex tape-making burglars when the couple left behind their camera. [More]

ESPN makes right move putting reporter's beer deal on ice

ESPN, spokesman Mike Soltys said Tuesday, won't allow college sports reporter Jenn Brown to appear in an announced ad campaign for MillerCoors' Icehouse beer. [More]

Credit card debt at lowest level in eight years

The amount consumers owed on their credit cards dropped to its lowest level in eight years, as cardholders continued to pay off balances in the uncertain economy. [More]

2 of Alaska village's 4 officers fatally shot

A SWAT team and dozens of other law officers surrounded a house in a tiny Alaskan village where a gunman took refuge after he allegedly killed two local lawmen in an ambush, authorities said. [More]

Teen motorcycle racer killed in crash at Indy

The motorcycle racing community mourned the death of a promising 13-year-old rider in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while defending the youth circuit that allows teens to drive vehicles that can top 120 mph. [More]

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