US News - ABC News Radio

Did Pope Francis Perform Exorcism on Teen?

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:47:54 +0000

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images(ROME) -- Claims that Pope Francis performed an exorcism on a disabled teenager in St. Peter's Square after mass on Sunday have led to denials from the Vatican.

The Catholic TV2000 filmed the pope blessing children with disabilities, showing the pope covering one teen's head with his hands and pushing back.

The TV network interviewed exorcists who said it was an exorcism, or "liberation prayer" from evil.

The Vatican instead said it was simply a prayer for someone suffering.

"Dancing with the Stars" Recap: Zendaya Leads Pack in Final Week

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:03:56 +0000

ABC/Adam Taylor(LOS ANGELES) -- The four remaining couples on ABC's Dancing with the Stars pulled out all the stops Monday night in their final bid to win the mirror ball trophy. Each couple performed three routines, including the all-important freestyle.

At the end of the night, Zendaya and partner Val Chmerkovskiy were atop the leader board, while Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff found themselves in last place.

The fourth-place couple will be eliminated within the first hour of the results show on Tuesday, and in a final element of the competition, the three remaining couples will perform a new routine in an instant dance. The routine will be scored and added to the judges' scores for both nights.

The couple with the highest combined total of judges' scores and viewers' votes will be declared the winner.

Host Tom Bergeron made a point during the broadcast to mention the deadly tornado that struck Oklahoma Monday afternoon. Bergeron said “our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the devastating tornado...” He then asked the studio audience to applaud the “amazing courage of the first responders on site.”

The Routines:

For the first routine, the judges picked a style of dance each star had previously performed, asking them to re-do it and improve upon it. The second routine was a cha cha cha relay in which all the stars danced and had the opportunity to earn up to five extra points from the judges. The third dance was the freestyle.

Jacoby Jones: For their first dance, the jive, the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and partner Karina Smirnoff got some advice during rehearsals from head judge Len Goodman, who advised the NFL star to make his kicks sharp and crisp. Judges saw improvement in Jones' kicks during the ballroom performance, but said the routine had a few flaws. “The footwork was a bit better...you got excited on occasion and you lost it but overall I've got to say, I saw that slightly crisper footwork,” Goodman said. Bruno Tonioli told Jones he always brought a "limitless supply of energy and power" but said he missed the beat "quite a few times" and also went flat-footed. Carrie Ann Inaba told Jones he “always brought the swagger” and was always exciting to watch. Total score: 27 out of a possible 30 points.

In the cha-cha relay, judges ranked Jones fourth place, earning him two extra points.

Jones' tap dance-inspired supersized freestyle came with help from several other dancers on the ballroom floor, and while the judges commended the upbeat, celebratory air, they also found flaws. Tonioli said the routine was "like watching a Mardi Gras parade down Bourbon Street.” Inaba thought the production was good but felt that it overshadowed Jones. "That's the sad part. I wanted you to be the star," she said. Total score: 27 out of a possible 30 points.

Aly Raisman: The Olympic gymnast got advice from Tonioli, who walked her through performing the samba roll, a difficult move, for her first dance. Her samba with partner Mark Ballas wowed the judges. Tonioli said Raisman did everything he asked for and she was "prettier than ever, and cleaner and slicker than ever." Inaba told Raisman she had the musicality and sensuality, swagger and beautiful lines of her fellow finalists. Goodman said the routine was "a little bit heavy in the legs on occasion," but overall, the performance was terrific. Samba score: 28/30.

In the cha-cha relay, Raisman was ranked third, picking up three points.

Raisman’s supersize freestyle was a futuristic performance that unfolded with her and Ballas dancing on poles to showcase her gymnastic ability. The judges were impressed. Inaba said it was "one of the most amazing routines" she'd seen in a finale freestyle, and Goodman said he loved the concept, adding that it had "great imagination." Tonioli told Raisman that she took "an incredible risk." The risk paid off. Total score: 30/30.

Kellie Pickler: The country music star and partner Derek Hough performed the quickstep for their first dance. Pickler had danced the quickstep before and Inaba had noted that she didn't see enough body contact. The ballroom audience loved Pickler's routine Monday and gave her prolonged applause. Inaba also approved, saying the performance had the body contact she wanted to see. Tonioli told Pickler the routine was, technically, "a tour de force.” Total score: 30/30.

In the cha-cha relay, Pickler was ranked second, earning four points.

Pickler's contemporary freestyle routine brought her another enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience and a hug from a teary-eyed Inaba. "Kellie, you just bared your soul on the dance floor and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Thank you," Inaba said. Goodman also stood up to applaud for Pickler, telling her the routine drew everyone in. Tonioli called the routine "a dance of spellbinding beauty." Total score: 30/30.

Zendaya: The season's youngest competitor had a visit from Inaba during rehearsals for her first dance, the samba, and she got some pointers from the judge. Inaba Ann called the 16-year-old Disney star's performance with partner Val Chmerkovskiy “magical,” while Goodman exclaimed, “That was eye-popping, show-stopping, jaw-dropping - that's a samba.” Tonioli added, “You're just incredibly fierce, child...you have a natural flamboyance that's so easy. It comes out without effort.” Total score: 30/30.

Zendaya won the cha cha cha relay, earning 5 points.

Zendaya's freestyle, with elements of contemporary, cha cha cha and hip hop, ended with several young dancers joining her and Chmerkovskiy on the ballroom floor. Goodman liked the variety of styles in the performance. "There were so many parts to that number but it all came together and created a fabulous routine," he said. Tonioli said Zendaya brought a “unique luminosity” to everything she performed. Total score: 30/30.

The Scores (First dance, second dance, freestyle dance, grand total):

Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy: 30, 5, 30. Total: 65
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough: 30, 4, 30. Total: 64
Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas: 28, 3, 30. Total: 61
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff: 27, 2, 27. Total: 56

The two-hour season finale results show, featuring musical performances from Pitbull, Wynonna and PSY, airs on ABC Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

POLL: Americans Suspicious of IRS Scandal, Majority Believes Benghazi Was Covered Up

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:03:24 +0000

Win McNamee/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll sharply reject the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, suspect an administration cover-up of the Benghazi incident and express substantial distrust of the federal government more generally.

Yet the national survey also finds no backlash against Barack Obama, at least at this point. His job approval rating is stable, albeit at a tepid 51 percent; he’s aided by accelerating economic optimism as well as by comparison with the much less-popular Republicans in Congress.

See a PDF with full results and charts here.

Longer-term impacts of contentious current issues remain to be seen, but there’s potential for significant damage to the administration. Americans by a vast 74-20 percent see the IRS’ behavior as inappropriate, with most feeling that way strongly – and 56 percent see it as a deliberate attempt to harass conservative organizations, not a mere administrative error.

The public divides on whether or not the administration is honestly disclosing what it knows about the IRS’ actions; 45 percent suspect a cover-up, 42 percent instead see full transparency. And more than a third overall in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, think these actions not only are inappropriate, but illegal.

Further, on the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last fall, suspicions of a cover-up rise to a majority, 55 percent. And in this case only a third of Americans are persuaded that the Obama administration is disclosing honestly what it knows about what occurred.

Beyond this negative view of the administration’s disclosure on Benghazi, Americans divide evenly on whether Republican criticisms on the issue reflect legitimate concerns or “political posturing.” But Hillary Clinton’s reputation thus far is largely intact: Despite criticisms of her handling of the incident, 62 percent approve of her work as secretary of state overall, down a bit from about six months ago but still a strong rating.

DISTRUST – Another result underscores the level of general distrust of the federal government. Americans by 54-38 percent say they think the government is doing more to threaten the rights of average Americans than to protect those rights. That’s not IRS-specific, however, since it was about as high in a similar Pew Research question in January.

There’s a high level of partisanship in suspicion of the government: Seventy-one percent of Republicans see it more as threatening than as protecting their rights, while just 31 percent of Democrats agree. But the balance is tipped by political independents, among whom a clear majority (61 percent) sees the government more as a threat than a source of protection.

Beyond politics, there’s an apparent economic element to trust in government, suggesting a perceived right to economic opportunity. People who see or expect economic recovery are much more likely than economic pessimists also to think that the government is protecting rather than threatening most people’s rights – regardless of their political or ideological preferences.

Beyond a sense of general distrust, there’s broad public concern about press freedoms, an issue related to federal prosecutors obtaining Associated Press telephone records in an effort to find the source of classified information about terrorism that was leaked to the news agency. Americans by 69-29 percent in this poll say they’re concerned that in trying to protect classified information the federal government will improperly intrude on the freedom of the press.

Specific to the AP issue, however, the public by 52-33 percent says prosecutors were justified in obtaining phone records via a court order, with results, in this case, similar across partisan and ideological lines. That may be because the leak related to terrorism, an issue on which the public tends to side with investigative efforts over privacy rights. Further, it’s not clear if the administration used a court order or instead a grand jury subpoena, which is not technically a court order but has a similar effect. Specifics on this issue, as well as other particulars of the case as they become known, could influence public attitudes.

OBAMA/ECONOMY – None of these issues appears to have impacted views of the president’s job performance; his approval rating, now 51 percent, has been essentially unchanged after slipping in March from a brief post-election foray into the mid-50s. An open question, though, is whether the president may have gained ground had these controversies not arisen.

In any case, strong sentiment about the president now divides evenly, after tilting slightly more negative in March and April. Moreover, the partisan gap in views of his performance, while still vast, is its smallest since December 2011, and Obama has majority approval among men for the first time since December 2010. Both may reflect the effects of an improving economy.

On that score, 56 percent of Americans now say the economy is beginning to recover, up by a dramatic 20 percentage points in the past year and a half, to the most since ABC and the Post first asked the question in late 2009. The change is broadly based, but strongest among financially better-off adults.

Additionally, more than half, 53 percent, now say they’re optimistic about the economy’s prospects in the year ahead, a majority for the first time in four years. (A steadier majority, two-thirds, expresses optimism about their own finances.)

These economic views, as noted, are closely related to political sentiment; Obama’s rating is far higher among those who see economic gains.

None of this means the economy’s in great shakes; Americans divide evenly, 48-48 percent, in approval or disapproval of how Obama’s handled it overall, with more “strongly” negative views than strongly positive ones. But that’s still one of his best scores on the economy since mid-2009. A little more than a year ago, by contrast, more disapproved than approved by a 21-point margin.

THE GOP – Obama also benefits from a comparative advantage vs. the Republicans in Congress. Regardless of his own rating on the economy, he leads the GOP in trust to handle it by 46-37 percent. That’s fluctuated; it’s a bit better for the president now than in March, but down from his wider 18-point advantage on the economy during his post-election bump in December.

Obama has a larger advantage in a more general question: Fifty-one percent of Americans say he is “mainly concentrating on things that are important to you personally.” That’s 8 points more than say the same about the Democrats in Congress – and 18 points more than say so about the Republicans.

Notably, Obama also is well ahead of his predecessor. At about this point in George W. Bush’s second term just 41 percent said he was focused on issues important to them, 10 points weaker than Obama’s score. Similarly, at that point 55 percent said Bush had done more to divide than to unite the country; 45 percent say the same about Obama now, with more undecided.

TEA TIME – In one division of interest, this poll finds a continued roughly even split in views of the Tea Party political movement, with 40 percent of adults saying they support it overall, 43 percent opposed. “Strong” support for the movement, at 10 percent, is numerically its lowest on record, and just about half the level of strong opposition, 22 percent.

Sizable majorities of Tea Party supporters and opponents alike say it was inappropriate for the IRS to single out conservative groups for extra scrutiny on their applications for tax-exempt status. At the same time, Tea Party aficionados are much more apt than its critics to think the IRS’ actions constituted intentional harassment, were illegal and are the subject of an attempted cover-up by the Obama administration.

ONWARD AND (POLITICALLY) DOWNWARD? – This survey, in sum, finds items for individuals across the political spectrum to enjoy, and others for them to worry about. After years in the tank, views on the economy unabashedly are improving, a positive result any way you slice it. That’s helping to support the president’s ratings, as are his comparisons to the long-lagging GOP. But the IRS issue, in particular, looks to pose a real risk to the administration, given the depth and breadth of criticism about it.

Most threatening, perhaps – to both sides of the aisle – is the public’s political mood more broadly. Views of the government as a threat ebb and flow, but are not new; as long ago as 1995, 55 percent in a Los Angeles Times poll said the government’s activities threatened their constitutional rights. But the return to that sentiment is a clear negative.

There are others: Even with improving economic views, 57 percent in this poll say the country continues to head “seriously off on the wrong track.” And while a majority now expresses economic optimism, when Americans are asked the likelihood that Obama and the Republicans will work together in the year ahead, the response is pessimistic by a resounding 2-1 margin.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Rand Paul Calls IRS Scandal 'Un-American'

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:03:13 +0000

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call(CONCORD, N.H.) -- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul made another stop in an early voting state Monday evening, continuing to feed the speculation that he will possibly run for president in 2016. Just 10 days after stopping in the first caucus state of Iowa, he visited the first primary state of New Hampshire to address a GOP fundraiser and said the targeting of tea party groups by the IRS was “un-American.”

“Any person who would use the power or abuse the power of government to go after their political opponents, I don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, to take that brute force, that bullying force of government and to use it against your opponents, there is something distinctly and profoundly un-American about that,” Paul said at a fundraiser for the state Republican Party in Concord, N.H.

The Republican senator joked that the trio of scandals hitting the Obama administration -- the IRS’s admitted targeting of tea party groups, increased criticism and outrage at the administration’s response to last year’s attack in Benghazi, Libya, and news of the Department of Justice’s seizure of phone records of the Associated Press, as well as spying on a Fox News reporter as part of a leak investigation -- all reminded him of the children’s song “Old MacDonald.”

“Old MacDonald’s Farm of Scandals: here’s a scandal, there’s a scandal, everywhere a scandal,” Paul said. “So it’s hard to know which scandal we want to talk about, but I think they all sort of stem from one problem and that’s the government has accumulated too much power, the president has accumulated too much power. Not just this president, but maybe the last 10 presidents, because we allowed that power to go from Congress to the presidency. We’ve allowed the presidency to become too strong.”

Paul said the revelations from the IRS scandal will create “such a level of distrust” that there is “going to have to be some kind of independent commission” to investigate.

“I don’t see any way the president can gain back trust, and for goodness sake, somebody’s got to get fired or go to prison,” Paul said to cheers.

He repeated some of the themes from his speech at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, earlier this month, repeating his criticism of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s response to the attack on the consulate in Benghazi in September that killed four Americans, blaming her for not providing adequate security and repeating that if he was president at the time he would have “relieved” Clinton “from office,” adding, “It’s inexcusable.”

“Benghazi should have be treated, and still to this day should be treated, like Baghdad,” Paul said. “It should be under military control, not State Department control.”

Paul continued his call for the GOP to broaden its outreach, saying Mitt Romney is an “upstanding” person, “but as a party we need to grow bigger.”

“If you want to be the party of white people, we’re winning all the white vote,” Paul said. “But we are a diverse nation. We are going to win when we look like America, we need to be white, we need to be brown, we need to be black, we need to be with tattoos, without tattoos, with ponytails, without ponytails, with beards, without beards. We need to look like the rest of America.”

Paul didn’t hide his libertarian streak when talking about the prosecution of the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon terrorist attack. Although other Republicans have said Dzhokar Tsarnaev should have been held longer without being read his Miranda Rights in order to get more information for the investigation, Paul recounted a conversation with a first responder in Boston in order to prove his point.

“He said, ‘What separates us from them is that when we did finally capture him...we sent the suspect to a hospital, he’s going to be tried in a court of law, he’s going to have an attorney,’” Paul said. “If this had been their country, he would have been dragged through the streets if he were an American...and beaten to death with a tire iron. We are different than they are.”

The speech wasn’t all serious, though. He earned some laughs at the beginning when he seemed to be talking about “border control.” He was, but not the border the crowd may have been thinking of.

“We’ve got to keep those people in Massachusetts out of New Hampshire,” Paul said to cheers.

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus spoke before Paul, calling him a “great leader.”

Priebus also had some tough words for the recent scandals embroiling the Obama administration.

“It’s the IRS that is going to enforce Obamacare, the same people that targeted conservative groups and it wasn’t just conservative groups it was any person or any group that had something critical to say of the current administration,” Priebus said. “A president that touts ego, power, and a hatred for dissent above everything else, that’s Barack Obama, that’s the leader of this country. I don’t think this administration realizes that the First Amendment wasn’t a suggestion. The Bill of Rights is not a wish list, it’s a set of non-negotiable limits on the federal government.”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Catherine Zeta-Jones Checks Out of Rehab

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:58:53 +0000

Donna Ward/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- Michael Douglas says his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, has completed her current treatment for Bipolar II disorder and is heading home.

In an interview with People magazine on Monday, Douglas revealed, “She comes home tomorrow. She’s doing a really good job of getting balanced. I’m proud of her.”

The 43-year-old actress entered a treatment facility in April.

Zeta-Jones previously sought treatment for the condition in spring 2011.

Seth MacFarlane Won't Return to Host Oscars

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:51 +0000

Kevin Winter/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) -- It's official: Seth MacFarlane won't return to host Hollywood's biggest night.

"Traumatized critics exhale: I'm unable to do the Oscars again. Tried to make it work schedule-wise, but I need sleep," the Family Guy creator announced Monday via Twitter.

After being offered the gig by the telecast's producers -- Craig Zadan and Neil Meron -- MacFarlane turned down the job and claimed he suggested another host: Joaquin Phoenix. (No word on if that was a joke.)

MacFarlane immediately rejected the possibility of hosting again after receiving tons of criticism when he hosted the 85th Academy Awards in February. One of the most criticized elements of the show was the "Boobs Song," in which MacFarlane sang about the topless scenes of many Hollywood actresses.

Perhaps the Oscars didn't fit in MacFarlane's schedule because he's currently busy preparing for his next film, a comedy titled A Million Ways to Die in the West, which will star MacFarlane, Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried. He is also planning a sequel to his blockbuster 2012 comedy, Ted.

The 86th Academy Awards will go on without him on Sunday, March 2, 2014, from inside the Dolby Theatre on level one of the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. It will air live on ABC.

Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio Join "X Factor" Judges’ Panel

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:54:44 +0000

Laura Cavanaugh/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) -- The rumors are true. Fox announced Monday night that one-time Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland and Mexican singer Paulina Rubio will be joining Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato on the judges’ panel when The X Factor returns this fall.

“It’s taken more than a decade, but I’m delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls (I think!), Cowell declared in a statement. "Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different.”

Rowland and Rubio fill the vacancies left by the departures of Britney Spears and L.A. Reid.

Rowland served as a judge on the British version of The X Factor in 2011.

"I am very exciting to be reuniting with Simon Cowell and The X Factor family," said Rowland in a statement. "It feels great to be able to take this journey here at home in the states."

Rubio, who has sold more than 20 million records and released 10 studio albums, said in a statement, "I love The X Factor. I can't wait to find the next big music star here in America. Simon, be careful what you wish for. Let's see if you are ready to handle me, empieza la fiesta, amigo."

"Downton Abbey" Stars Auctioning Themselves Off for Charity

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:53:16 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Great news for Downton Abbey fans who may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms due to the lack of new episodes at the present time.

The New York Post reports Brendan Coyle, the actor who portrays the valet Mr. Bates, and Lesley Nicol, the actress who plays the cook Mrs. Patmore, will be auctioning themselves on May 30 to benefit the Origin Theatre Company in New York City.

Last year, someone paid $20,000 to read poetry to Coyle in a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park, followed by dinner. This year, Coyle is adding the opportunity to have lunch with him in London.

Nicol is offering a lucky bidder the chance to have tea with her at Tea and Sympathy in Manhattan.

Additional details can be found at Biddingforgood.com.

Hayden Panettiere Slams Engagement Rumors

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:51:32 +0000

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images(LAS VEGAS) -- Hayden Panettiere is waving off reports that she's engaged to her on-again boyfriend, pro boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

"No ring," the Nashville star told E! News while walking the blue carpet on Sunday night at the Billboard Music Awards.

Panettiere was photographed wearing a fancy ring on her right hand at an ABC event last week to promote the network's 2013-2014 schedule in New York City. Panettiere and Klitschko dated in 2010 and 2011 before breaking up, though they reconciled in January.

The 23-year-old also dismissed rumors of a real-life Nashville tour.

"I'm kind of confused as to when they think that's going to happen," Panettiere said. "We shoot from the end of July to the end of April."

Fans of the ABC series can still get their fill when Nashville's season finale airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Former 'Fast and Furious' Prosecutor Accused of Retaliatory Leak

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:42:15 +0000

David De Lossy/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- The "Fast and Furious" gun-walking controversy is back in the headlines.

This time, a Justice Department Inspector General's report says that a former top federal prosecutor decided to get back at whistleblower John Dodson by leaking a story that Dodson also supported allowing guns to get into the hands of U.S. criminals and Mexican drug cartels.

Former Arizona prosecutor Dennis K. Burke told the Justice Department that he gave Fox News an internal memo, stating that Dodson, an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) Special Agent, supported walking guns along the Southwest border.

In actuality, Dodson proposed going undercover in 2010 as a straw purchaser and delivering firearms to suspected traffickers. He later criticized the operation to Congress.

Burke said that he didn't think he did anything illegal by leaking the document implicating Dodson. Meanwhile, he also turned over documents to The New York Times that one of the guns used in the "Fast and Furious" operation was at the scene where a U.S. Border Patrol agent had been murdered.

The prosecutor and several other officials resigned as a result of the botched operation in which law enforcement officials lost track of hundreds of firearms.

Meanwhile, Burke has since joined a global security firm.

Controversies Providing Obstacles for Obama, Poll Finds

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:38:02 +0000

Patrick Smith/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Americans say that President Obama really has his work cut out for him during his second-term, largely because of scandals involving the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department subpoena of Associated Press phone records and last year’s deadly attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

A new USA Today poll released Monday finds that 31 percent of respondents believe the controversies will make it much harder for the president to accomplish his agenda while 42 percent say they’ll at least make things a little harder for Obama.

Only 21 percent believe the scandals will have no effect on the president’s performance while 6 percent expressed no opinion.

In other findings, 53 percent think that politics was behind the IRS decision to scrutinize Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations despite White House denials. In addition, 50 percent contend that the president should shoulder at least a little or a lot of the blame while 44 percent say he had nothing to do with it.

As for the Sept. 11, 2012 siege in Libya that left four Americans dead, 40 percent claim the administration is covering up the facts about the attack and its aftermath but 45 percent assert there was no cover-up.

Meanwhile, the public seems overwhelmingly in the media’s corner when it comes to the Justice Department’s seizure of phone records after the AP published a story regarding the CIA foiling an al Qaeda bomb plot one year ago.

Sixty-two percent say the media should report stories that are in the national interest without government interference while 23 percent claim the government should censor news stories that potentially threaten national security.

Interestingly, there could be a partisan element involved in the response to that question. In 2006, when there was a Republican administration, 53 percent identifying themselves with the GOP said the government should be able to censor stories. Now, 53 percent believe the media should be able to report news as it sees fit.

Nearly 100 Deaths in Multiple Iraq Bombings

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:34:12 +0000

Iraqi Prime Minister office via Getty Images(BAGHDAD) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is accusing some lawmakers of fueling the latest sectarian unrest that's responsible for close to 250 deaths in his country over a five-day period.

The Shiite leader also blamed large Sunni demonstrations for counteracting his attempts at achieving national unity almost a year-and-a-half after U.S. forces pulled out of Iraq.

Sunnis and Kurds contend its al-Maliki who's stoking sectarian tensions by marginalizing minorities.

Either way, violence has picked up during the past two months, with reports Monday of at least 95 deaths in predominantly Shiite areas of the country. Two days earlier, insurgents struck largely Sunni regions, killing dozens.

Monday's attacks included explosions reported in 10 separate sections of Baghdad where Shiites congregate in marketplaces and other busy spots. As many as 50 people were killed in the Baghdad attacks, which also left at least 150 others wounded.

Al Qaeda-linked groups in Iraq are believed to be the main culprits, but Sunni and Shiite militants are also suspected of instilling violence.

While al-Maliki has called for calm, some Sunni tribesman, particularly in Anbar province where many of the protests are taking place, are promising to keep fighting back against security forces sent by the Shiite-led government.

Hezbollah Heavily Involved in Key Syrian Battle

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:29:53 +0000

Scott Peterson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The battle for the Western Syrian city of Qusayr is being described by both sides as the possible turning point of the two-year civil war.

What makes this conflict different from other cities where fighting continues to rage is that it also involves the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his bid to crush opposition groups seeking his ouster.

Even as the Syrian government has been hitting rebel strongholds hard with air strikes in Qusayr, Hezbollah is sustaining heavy losses.

One Syrian watchdog group reports that nearly 30 Hezbollah guerrillas have died so far in the battle for Qusayr, not far from Lebanon's eastern border.

There are conflicting reports about who is gaining ground in the city located in Homs province although there's wide acknowledgement Syrian government forces regained control of more than half of Qusayr since the fight began last Sunday.

Taking back Qusayr in its entirety is seen as crucial for al-Assad as it would give him better footing in western Syria although rebel forces still seem to be holding the upper hand in northern and eastern territories.

Nightline Podcast - May 20, 2013

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:09:43 +0000

In tonight's episode, a special edition of Nightline as we report on the tornado devastation in Oklahoma.

College Women Binge Drinking More Than Men?

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:45:26 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BOSTON) -- Binge drinking has become a bigger problem for college females than for their male classmates, according to new research.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says 44 percent of students at four-year colleges at some time drink alcohol at binge levels. But a new study from Harvard Medical School finds female students are more likely to exceed weekly alcohol limits than males.

For the study, researchers at Harvard's Center for Addiction looked at nearly a thousand students at three New England universities during their first year at college. They found the women exceeded their recommended limit of no more than three drinks a day and seven per week more frequently than the men outdid their limit. For males, the recommendation is no more than four drinks a day and seven per week. In fact, women were 1.57 times as likely as men to exceed weekly limits, and exceeded those limits for 15 percent of the weeks. For men, it was 12 percent of the weeks.

And while the men's drinking declined over time, the women's drinking did not.

The study authors warn that women who do not grow out of this drinking behavior after they leave college increase their risk for liver disease and breast cancer as they age.

This study's findings have been published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

$165K Yale Fine Highlights "Hiding" College Sexual Assaults

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:02:16 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW HAVEN, Conn.) -- The $165,000 fine against Yale University for underreporting the frequency of sexual assaults might be a catalyst needed to remind colleges of their obligation to protect students from such crimes, according to a victims' advocacy group.

"I think once these cases come to light, it actually draws victims from other cases to speak up," Tracy Cox, spokeswoman for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, said. "I think it says something about the culture everywhere."

"This may very well be a tipping point."

More than 90 percent of sexual assaults on U.S. campuses go unreported, according to a 2000 U.S. Department of Justice Study, and students have filed complaints this year against two universities for the way administrators handled students' reporting sexual assaults.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education has fined Yale for its underreporting of sexual assaults on campus more than a decade ago.

In a letter last month issued to the New Haven, Conn., university's president, Dr. Richard Levin, the Department of Education cited Yale for failing to report four "forcible sex offenses" that took place in 2001 and 2002. The school also failed to designate parts of Yale-New Haven Hospital as part of its campus and, subsequently, report crime statistics in those areas to the federal government, for which it was fined.

The university was also fined for failing to include several statements that disclosed campus crime statistics, including sex offenses, in its 2004 Annual Security Report issued to enrolled and prospective university students and employees, according to the April 19 letter.

While the letter stated that the university had since corrected its crime reporting, "the correction of violations does not diminish the seriousness of not correctly reporting these incidents at the time they occurred."

The Department of Education characterized Yale's violations as "very serious and numerous."

The Department of Education initiated a review of the Ivy League university's compliance with the Clery Act after a 2004 Yale Alumni Magazine article questioned the university's policies with respect to sexual misconduct, according to the letter.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act is a federal statute that requires colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to record and disclose campus crime statistics to students, faculty and staff, as well as the Department of Education.

Failing to abide by the Clery Act might jeopardize an institution's ability to provide federal aid to students.

University spokesman Tom Conroy told ABC News Monday that the university has requested that the fines be reduced, and is waiting for a final determination from the Department of Education.

"Yale has a structure in place to address these issues that is as strong as any school in the nation," he said. "Whatever guidance that the Department of Education gives to Yale in interpreting the Clery Act, we're going to follow."

Conroy said he was not aware of any student community reactions to the fines, but noted that the crimes in question, "were from over a decade ago."

"There is nothing Yale needs to do as a result of its letter with regard to its reporting," he said.

This isn't the first time a university's handling of sexual misconduct has come under fire.

Students at both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif. filed complaints this year with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights against their universities for the way administrators allegedly mishandled students' reporting sexual assaults.

Cox, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center spokeswoman, said underreporting of sexual assaults on college campuses is still a major issue, despite its recently becoming a subject that victims are more comfortable taking to authorities.

Raw numbers are difficult to come by, but the perceived increases in the number of rapes on U.S. campuses in recent years might be a result of more people reporting rather than more assaults, Cox said.

She added that university leadership should be out front of the charge to change policy, which is difficult when enrollment is often a school's top priority.

"It's kind of a double-edged sword for them," she said. "They want to promote safe campuses, but when you have more people reporting [sexual misconduct], and more people going to the police, it may look like they don't have a safe campus.

But Cox said the increase in sexual assault reporting might result, in part, from improvements in campus policies that allow for victims to come forward more easily.

"In order for change to happen, there has to be a level of transparency at schools and institutions," she said.

Abigail Boyer, a spokeswoman for the Clery Center for Security on Campus, a nonprofit that works to prevent crimes on university campuses, including violence, said, "We always caution people to look past just the data, to look beyond the numbers."

She said that when institutions provide support and resources for students, it is possible for the number of sexual assaults reported on campus to increase.

"It's not a reflection of how safe a campus is," she said of the reporting. "It's a reflection of institutions using best practices and doing things correctly."

Cox said the Yale University fines might serve as a wakeup call for college campuses that they can still be penalized for failing to report sexual assaults more than a decade after the fact.

"It still says that just because they happened 10 years ago doesn't make them any less important," she said. "If anything, it does show that if these crimes are committed on campus and there is a failure to report, they will be addressed."

"No one is going to skate through without any accountability," Cox vowed.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Oscar Pistorius Will Not Compete As He Awaits Trial

Tue, 21 May 2013 03:33:48 +0000

Herman Verwey/City Press/Gallo Images/Getty Images(PRETORIA, South Africa) -- Oscar Pistorius's agent says the international athlete known as "Blade Runner," who is accused of murdering his girlfriend, will not compete again this year as he fights to clear his name.

The 26-year-old Olympic sprinter is currently awaiting trial after being charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February. Pistorius maintains he shot Steenkamp, 29, by accident, mistaking her for an intruder on Valentine's Day. He is due back in court on June 4 with a trial scheduled to take place before the end of this year.

In a statement Monday, Peet van Zyl, confirmed Pistorius will not be seen on an athletics track before then.

“There was never any pressure from me or his coach to return to competition. It is his decision and it is his decision not to compete,” van Zyl said.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Children Among at Least 51 Dead, 'Horrific' Damage in Okla. Tornado

Tue, 21 May 2013 02:05:51 +0000

Oklahoma County Sheriff(OKLAHOMA CITY) -- At least 20 of the 51 people killed by a devastating monster tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., were children, the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner said this evening, as searchers picked through the rubble of schools, homes and businesses leveled by the storm.

Officials said they expect the total number of deaths to rise overnight as first responders continue to look for survivors. Two elementary schools were in the path of the tornado, but the medical examiner did not specify what school the deceased students attended.

Desperate parents stood around what was left of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, many of them sobbing, as rescuers worked to help pull out school children and faculty.

"I know there's a number of dead children from that school," Oklahoma City Police spokesman Sgt. Gary Knight said. "I know the number is around seven."

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

US News | Weird News | More ABC News Videos

Authorities said Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Okla., received a "direct hit" from the storm and was also destroyed, with its roof and walls blown off.

Children were still in school because in anticipation of the severe weather Monday afternoon, schools in the Moore area did not release their students at the end of the day, according to Oklahoma Emergency Management officials.

Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out, cars were tossed around like toys and were found on top of buildings.

Oklahoma Tornado: How to Help

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said at a news conference Monday night that downed powerlines and massive traffic jams have made emergency responses difficult, and cautioned those not involved in search and rescue operations to stay away from disaster areas.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with Oklahoma families hit hard," Fallin said at a news conference on Monday. "Our hearts are just broken for the parents wondering about the state of their children."

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

US News | Weird News | More ABC News Videos

One sixth grade boy named Brady, who goes to Briarwood, told ABC affiliate KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City that he and other students took cover in a bathroom.

"Cinderblocks and everything collapsed on them but they were underneath so that kind of saved them a little bit, but I mean they were trapped in there," he said.

David Barnes, the director of Oklahoma Emergency Management in Oklahoma County, told ABC News that a single twister tore through homes from Newcastle to Moore, a path of 12 miles. The damage was "widespread" and people's homes were completely destroyed, all the way to their foundations, he said.

LIVE UPDATES: Tornado Damage in Oklahoma

The National Weather Service said the preliminary rating of the Newcastle-Moore tornado was at least EF-4, meaning wind speeds of up to 200 mph.

"It is absolutely devastating, this is horrific," Oklahoma Lt. Gov Todd Lamb said. "We're going to have fatalities. ... We're going to have significant injuries. ... We just don't know what those numbers are. Schools have been hit, a hospital has been hit, businesses have been flattened, neighborhoods have been wiped away -- we don't have the numbers in yet but it is going to be significant and it is going to be horrific."

Moore resident Melissa Newton said the hail from the tornado was "about the size of golfballs."

The National Weather Service issued a rare tornado emergency for the Oklahoma City metropolitan area at 3:01 p.m., warning that significant damage and fatalities were likely.

At least 105 people have been admitted to area hospitals as more people emerged from the rubble. Moore Medical Center, the only hospital in Moore, sustained major damage and was evacuating all of its patients to other hospitals.

The Oklahoma University Medical Center in downtown Oklahoma City had received 85 patients, 65 of which were children. Integris Southwest Medical Center in downtown Oklahoma City, said it received 33 patients, including three children.

First responders were reportedly having trouble reaching Moore, which has a population of about 56,300 people, because people were stuck in their cars on the highway.

"We've got so many people that are all on the interstate that we can not get our emergency responders to the scene because we've got so many people tied up in traffic on I-35," said Betsy Randolph of the State Highway Patrol.

This twister was the latest in a group of violent storms that swept through the Midwest, starting Sunday, that has now left dozens of people dead.

On Sunday, a tornado ripped through Shawnee, Okla., killing a 79-year-old man near a mobile home park that was reduced to rubble, according to Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth.

Twisters, hail and high winds also struck Iowa and Kansas as part of a devastating, northeastward-moving storm system that stretched from Texas to Minnesota. Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma were ravaged by 50 tornadoes this weekend.

Moore was the site of one of the most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history. On May 3, 1999, an EF-5 tornado ripped through the Oklahoma City area, killing 42 people.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Report: Terror Attack Thwarted in Russia

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:19:27 +0000

Creatas/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) -- Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims to have cornered a group of suspected militants in the town of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, east of Moscow, thwarting a possible terror attack, according to Russian news reports. The group opened fire, and two suspects were killed in the shootout. A third person was detained.

The reports don’t say when the operation took place.

The FSB claims the suspects were planning a terror attack in Moscow, but reports thus far don’t provide any details of their plans. The three are reportedly from Russia and received training in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

CBS Pulls "Mike & Molly" Tornado-Themed Finale

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:41:05 +0000

George Doyle/Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- In light of the real-life devastation that tornados are causing in the Midwest, CBS has decided to postpone the finale of the sitcom Mike & Molly, which dealt with a tornado hitting Chicago.

“Due to the tragic events this afternoon in Oklahoma, we are pre-empting tonight’s season finale of Mike & Molly, which has a related storyline,” a CBS spokesperson tells ABC News in a statement. “A repeat broadcast of Mike & Molly will run in the time period.”

On Monday, a huge tornado ripped through Oklahoma City, delivering a “direct hit” on an elementary school. The twister is just one of more than 50 devastating storms that have ravaged the Midwest since Sunday, leaving dozens of people dead and injured.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Anti-Taliban Politician, Civilians Killed in Suicide Attack

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:12:34 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHLAN, Afghanistan) -- At least 14 people, including a senior political official, were killed Monday by a suicide attacker in the northern Afghanistan province of Baghlan.

The attacker entered the provincial council compound on foot wearing a police uniform before detonating a suicide vest at the gate of the council's headquarters, BBC News reports.

According to the spokesperson of the governor of Baghlan province, the attack claimed the lives of 14 people, including council head Haji Rasool Khan Mohseni, a key Taliban opponent in the province. Nine others were injured in the attack.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

WATCH: Devastation Following Massive Tornado in Oklahoma

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:02:00 +0000

File photo. Hemera/Thinkstock(OKLAHOMA CITY) -- A large tornado touched down Monday south of Oklahoma City, causing widespread damage.

Here is live video, courtesy of ABC News:

World News Podcast - May 20th, 2013

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:44:19 +0000

A massive tornado has swept through the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. There are new questions about a tragedy at Hofstra University, after a student was shot and killed in a hostage standoff not by the masked intruder, but by police. And, ABC's Sam Champion with the latest on the tornado that tore through the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. This and more on the World News Podcast.

Former Philadelphia Cop Faces Rape Charge, $60M Bail

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:27:35 +0000

Hemera/Thinkstock(PHILADELPHIA) -- A former Philadelphia police officer once hailed as a hero and invited by the vice president to attend a presidential address to Congress now faces 16 charges, including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and making terroristic threats.

Bail for Richard DeCoatsworth, 27, has been set at $60 million after he allegedly sexually assaulted two women at gunpoint.

Authorities alleged DeCoatsworth, of Philadelphia, left a party with two women at approximately 2 a.m. Thursday and brought them to another location. He then, "produced a handgun and allegedly forced the two females to engage in the use of narcotics and sexual acts," Philadelphia Police Department spokeswoman Officer Tanya Little said.

The women contacted police once DeCoatsworth left the undisclosed site, Little said.

DeCoatsworth was arrested at his home Saturday morning and was booked at the Philadelphia County Jail. His preliminary arraignment was held on Saturday night, according to court documents.

Philadelphia Prisons System spokeswoman Sean Hawes told ABC News that DeCoatsworth was being represented by a public defender, but she did not know his attorney's name.

ABC News' calls to the Defender Association of Philadelphia were not immediately returned.

DeCoatsworth came into public view after he chased a gunman who shot him in the face in West Philadelphia in 2007, Philadelphia ABC News affiliate WPVI-TV reported. He caught his attacker, who later was sentenced to 36 to 72 years in prison.

According to WPVI, Vice President Joe Biden subsequently invited DeCoatsworth to attend President Obama's televised address to Congress in February 2009, and he sat beside first lady Michelle Obama.

DeCoatsworth retired from the police department on disability in December 2011, WPVI reported.

"I think that since he got shot, he's not the same person," one neighbor told WPVI.

Authorities declined to release the locations of DeCoatsworth's alleged assaults or the names of the alleged victims, citing a desire to protect the victims and the integrity of the investigation.

DeCoatsworth's next court date was scheduled for June 17, according to court documents.

US News | Weird News | More ABC News Videos

President Obama Schedules Trip to Africa

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:27:10 +0000

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Obama will travel to Africa this summer.

The president will take his family to U.S. allies Senegal, Tanzania, and South Africa, where Nelson Mandela lives in retirement.

During the trip, scheduled for June 26 through July 3, the president, "will reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade, strengthening democratic institutions, and investing in the next generation of African leaders," White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement Monday.

As the first African American president, President Obama has wanted to make an extended tour of the African continent, but he cannot go to his father's homeland, Kenya, for the lack of political stability there.

Carney said the president, "will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues."

“The trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity,” he said.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Gas Prices Jump Across the US

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:17:35 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Gas prices across the country are still rising ahead of one of the year's busiest travel weekends. The weekly average price of a gallon of regular gas is $3.67, up 7 cents from a week earlier, according to data from the Department of Energy.

The biggest price jump in the country has been recorded in Minnesota, with a record high of $4.29, a rise of 43 cents in the just the last week.
Minnesota is ground zero for the high prices with a record high of $4.29, a rise of 43 cents in the just the last week. Other Midwestern states and parts of the Rockies are also seeing big spikes because of refinery outages and the mandatory switch by gas stations over to summer fuel blends to comply with federal clean-air standards.

This price rise can significantly increase the price of a summer trip. Filling up your gas tank for a drive from Minneapolis to the Grand Canyon could cost up to $200 more today than it would have a month ago.

There may be some relief on the way though. As the summer gets going, prices are expected to start coming down in June. For now though it will be a pricey holiday weekend at the pump, likely the most expensive since 2011.

While prices remain high some tips on how to save:

Keeping your car out of the sun can, in fact, help you save some gas, this keep the gas from evaporating out of your tank.
Also pump only when you need to and skip the mini fill ups because you end up wasting time gas hopping.
Finally skip the AC when not on the highway. This will help you get the best mileage out of your car.

Does Obama Approve of Justice Department's Targeting of Fox News Reporter?

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:14:23 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- In yet another Justice Department leak investigation of journalists, the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly seized emails and phone records of Fox News correspondent James Rosen, and even tracked his comings and goings into the State Department by tracking when he scanned his ID at the building’s entrance.

The story was first reported Monday by The Washington Post.

Court documents in the case quote extensively from Rosen’s personal emails in making the case against the alleged leaker, former State Department adviser Stephen Jin-Woo Kim. The New Yorker has posted the documents online.

It was all part of an investigation into a story Rosen did in 2009 about intelligence officials warning that North Korea was likely to respond to U.N. sanctions with more nuclear tests. Kim was one of 95 people who saw the intelligence report.

For First Amendment advocates, the most chilling part of the court documents is the suggestion by DOJ that Rosen was, “an aider and abettor and/or co-conspirator in the crime” because he was trying to get the information, which was classified, from his source. Seeking sensitive and secret information is something reporters do every day.

The Rosen story comes after news the Justice Department had also subpoenaed the phone records of 20 employees of The Associated Press a different leak investigation.

White House spokesman Jay Carney was peppered with questions about this at Monday’s briefing, beginning with this exchange with ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl:

KARL: And just one more question. Does the president approve of the Justice Department’s handling of the Jin-Woo Kim leak investigation? We now know that the FBI investigators in this case not only seized James Rosen’s phone records, they went through and read his emails, they tracked his comings and goings inside the State Department. Does the president approve of that kind of action by the Justice Department against a reporter?

CARNEY: I will refer you to what the president said in response to a question about another matter along these lines, and that is that he is a strong defender of the First Amendment and a firm believer in the need for the press to be able to conduct investigative reporting and facilitate a free flow of information.

He is also, as a citizen and as commander in chief, insistent that we protect our secrets, that we protect classified information, and that leaks -- that we take very seriously the leaks of classified information because leaks can endanger the lives of men and women in uniform and other Americans serving overseas for our country.

And that is a balance he seeks, and it is reflected in the media shield law that his administration negotiated with the Senate in 2009 and which the president is very happy to see the Senate take up again. That’s a balance that was endorsed at the time by -- you know, from media organizations to federal prosecutors. I cannot, of course, comment on a specific ongoing criminal investigation.

Q: Jay, do you, as a former reporter, approve of those kind of tactics -- reading through the emails of a reporter?

MR. CARNEY: Again, I cannot comment on a specific ongoing investigation. I certainly share -- and I think most Americans do -- the president’s belief that we need to have, you know, a press that is able to pursue investigative journalism and that we have to defend the First Amendment. I also think it’s very important, as I think members of both parties have said, that we need to make sure that leaks are not tolerated, because leaks that can endanger the lives of our men and women and endanger our national security need to be taken very seriously. But that is, again, not a comment on a specific case, because I cannot comment on a specific case.

Yahoo! Gives Flickr a Makeover

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:07:35 +0000

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- It's a big day for Yahoo. A few hours after announcing its $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr, Yahoo announced some major updates to its Flickr photo-sharing service.

"Tonight is about Flickr," Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said at an event in New York City Monday evening. "It is about that other 'R' brand and how we can make Flickr awesome again."

To that end, Yahoo announced three main changes to Flickr: a cleaner design, a new Android app and much more storage space than any competing photo service offers.

The new design scraps all the white space and blue links for large photos. Every user profile has a full-lead image or a cover photo, and below that a user's large photos are displayed in a grid. When users visit other profiles, they will see the same layout. There's also a photo stream page, which will bring in photos from people you follow.

Those big photos are a crucial part to the new parts of the service, Mayer and SVP of mobile products Adam Cahan said Monday evening. Those photos are uploaded in full resolution. "We never want you to compromise a single pixel at Flickr," Cahan said from the stage.

While Facebook and other photo services compress photos when uploading, Flickr will upload the full resolution image -- every pixel at the full size, no degradation. Google announced last week that its photo service, which is integrated into Google Plus, will also allow users to view and upload full-resolution images taken on phones or with digital cameras.

Yahoo, however, is planning to stand out from Google in one key way when it comes to photos. Yahoo will offer everyone a full free terabyte of storage space to users. Google offers 15GB of free space; it charges $49.99 a month for a terabyte of space.

"No other tech company has ever offered a terabyte of storage," Cahan said. A terabyte, which Yahoo says is basically like offering unlimited storage, can house more than a half a million photos (537,731 photos to be exact).

Yahoo plans to roll out the new features Monday at Flickr.com and release a new Android app. The company also plans to remind people about Flickr, which was once a very popular photo-sharing service before the days of Facebook, with a new marketing campaign. The advertising efforts will kick off with 11 billboards in New York's Times Square.

Mayer, who took over as CEO of Yahoo in July 2012, has worked to turn the company around. In addition to the Tumblr acquisition, which is her largest acquisition to date, she has announced refreshes to Yahoo Mail and Flickr's iPhone app.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

The Doors' Ray Manzarek Dead at Age 74 After Battle with Cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:44:27 +0000

The Doors in 1968. Ray Manzarek (far right) died May 20, 2013 (Express/Express/Getty Images)(ROSENHEIM, Germany) -- Ray Manzarek, founding keyboardist of The Doors, died Monday at age 74 at a medical clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, after a long battle with bile duct cancer. At his side was his wife of 45 years, Dorothy, as well as his brothers Rick and James Manczarek.

Ray co-founded The Doors in Venice Beach, California, in 1965 with singer and fellow UCLA film student Jim Morrison, along with guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. Driven by Morrison's charismatic stage presence, powerful voice and poetic lyrics, as well as Manzarek's hypnotic, jazzy keyboards, the band soon shot to stardom on the strength of such classic hits as the chart-topping "Light My Fire" and "Hello, I Love You." The group continued to release popular albums and singles until Morrison's death from heart failure at age 27 in July 1971. On the strength of The Doors' enduring body of work, the band has gone on to influence and inspire countless other artists, while selling more than 100 million albums worldwide.

After The Doors broke up in 1973, Manzarek continued his music career, releasing a number of solo albums and collaborative albums. From 2001 until his death, Manzarek performed Doors music in a popular touring group with Krieger that most recently was called the Manzarek-Krieger Band. Manzarek also has recorded albums with blues guitarist Roy Rogers and poet Michael McClure, has produced music by such bands as Echo and the Bunnymen and X, and has written a memoir and two novels.

Commenting on Manzarek's death, Krieger said in a statement, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."

Besides his wife and brothers, Manzarek is survived by a son, Pablo Manzarek, as well as three grandchildren -- Noah, Apollo and Camille. No official funeral plans have been confirmed. The family is suggesting that rather than sending flowers, fans can make a donation in honor of Ray to StandUp2Cancer.org.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Three Men Arrested, Charged in California Fake Bomb Bank Heist

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:21:00 +0000

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Three men have been arrested and charged in a Los Angeles bank robbery in which the men allegedly strapped what they said were explosives to a bank manager's stomach and ordered her to rob her own bank.

One of the men was the bank manager's boyfriend, according to the federal indictment released on Monday.

The robbers made off with about $565,500 and police later determined that the device was a fake.

The three men -- Ray Vega, Richard Menchaca and Bryan Perez -- were charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery and aiding and abetting.

Vega was the bank manager's boyfriend, according to a federal indictment. The bank manager is only identified as A.B. in a legal document.

Vega allegedly formulated the plan to rob the Bank of America where "one of his girlfriends" was the assistant branch manager, according to the indictment. Menchaca and Perez were to go to the bank to examine its layout and the surrounding area.

"On the day of the bank robbery, defendant Vega would arrange for A.B. to go to the bank wearing an item resembling an explosive device to make it appear that A.B. was a hostage in a bank robbery and the purported explosive device would detonate unless an employee at the bank helped A.B. remove money from the bank's vault," the indictment stated.

The bank manager, A.B., has not been charged but police were vague about her possible involvement.

At a news conference, Huntington Park Police Chief Jorge Cisneros was asked whether she would be charged. He would only say that the suspects were not being charged with kidnapping, according to ABC News' Los Angeles station KABC.

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.

Investigators say the money has not been recovered and are asking for the public's help because they think there are others who have information about the crime, according to KABC. Bank of America is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of additional suspects in the case.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to call (888) CANT-HIDE.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio