After a week of deadly, international protests against an anti-Islam film, a French satirical magazine is fueling the debate between freedom of expression and offensive provocation.

The magazine Charlie Hebdo published cartoons featuring a figure resembling the Prophet Mohammed in an issue that hit newsstands Wednesday.

Magazine director Stephane Charbonnier said his staff is "not really fueling the fire," but rather using its freedom of expression "to comment (on) the news in a satirical way."

"It happens that the news this week is Mohammed and this lousy film, so we are drawing cartoons about this subject," Charbonnier told CNN affiliate BFM-TV on Wednesday. "It's more turning in derision this grotesque film than to make fun of Mohammed."

The "lousy film" he's referring to is "Innocence of Muslims," an amateurish, 14-minute video that mocks the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and killer. The video drew international attention last week and spawned heated protests

Any depiction of Islam's prophet is considered blasphemy by many Muslims.

Charlie Hebdo journalist Laurent Leger said the magazine's cartoons show Muslim men and Muslim extremists, but the magazine does not explicitly state that the cartoons are depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.

Rather, he said, the cartoons are open to interpretation.

"The aim is to laugh. We want to laugh at the extremists -- every extremist. They can be Muslim, Jewish, Catholic. Everyone can be religious, but extremist thoughts and acts we cannot accept," Leger said.

"In France, we always have the right to write and draw. And if some people are not happy with this, they can sue us and we can defend ourselves. That's democracy. You don't throw bombs, you discuss, you debate. But you don't act violently. We have to stand and resist pressure from extremism."

The cartoons are already drawing strong condemnation by the French Muslim community.

Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of Muslim Faith, described a feeling of "indignation against this new Islamophobic act" to BFM-TV.

He said the cartoons are "insulting for the prophet of Islam," and described their publication as a "new provocation."

French authorities have already taken precautionary measures, with police vehicles parked outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo late Tuesday.

The offices were the scene of an attack last November, when they were burned on the day the magazine was due to publish an issue with a cover appearing to make fun of Islamic law.

The cover featured a bearded and turbaned cartoon figure of the Prophet Mohammed saying, "100 lashes if you're not dying of laughter."

 The 26-year-old singer told her fans she had cut down on drinking alcohol because she prefers smoking the drug and revealed it had been hugely beneficial to her music.

According to The Sun newspaper, she said: “I want you to know it has totally changed my life and I’ve really cut down on drinking. It has been a totally spiritual experience for me with my music.

“It’s like saying everybody needs to take a breath and it’s going to be OK.”

She also joked she was going to talk to US President Barack Obama in a bid to make marijuana legal in America.

The eccentric singer recently had a tattoo inked into her newly-shaved head in front of a live audience as part of the launch for her new perfume Fame.

Gaga had an image of a cherub wearing a crown etched into the back of her head at New York's Solomon R Guggenheim Museum and tattooist Mark Mahoney said the design is a nod to her Italian roots.

Mark, who was helped by his assistant Wes Brown, explained: "It's kind of a Renaissance era cherub, a nod to her Italian heritage."

The singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, put on a number of live art installation features during the evening to launch the scent, which included the singer arriving at the venue inside a replica of her perfume bottle, inside which she was asleep on a bed.

Missy Elliott and Timbaland are finally willing to talk Drake. Specifically, Drake's producing a posthumous Aaliyah album without contacting either of the hip-hop artists.

Elliott and Timbaland stopped by Hot 97 to sit down with host Angie Martinez. The duo first debuted two new songs, "9th Inning" and "Triple Threat," reported Complex magazine, then started talking Aaliyah.

The two hip-hop heavyweights were professionally and personally close with the late singer, who died tragically in a plane crash in 2001. When news first spread of Drake releasing a posthumous Aaliyah album, fans thought Elliott and Timbaland would be in. However, neither has been contacted about or involved in the process.

When asked about Drake's Aaliyah album, Timbaland said, "I don’t even know if it’s an album, I don’t think that’s in the works. I don’t know, I think it’s blown out of proportion. I haven’t spoken to Drake yet. I have a hard time just hearing her music."

Adding Elliot, "No call has been made to me. I have to respect her family, and until they come and say they’re ready to do an Aaliyah album then I don’t really want to get into that because it’s very sensitive. It’s not records that already done came out, we’re talking about unfinished music. And we don’t know what her reasoning for not putting those records out. Maybe she didn’t feel like they were her best work. We just don’t want to tap into that, just spiritually something else you know ... very very touchy. Unless her parents came in and conducted that."

In August, the first single off the expected-album, "Enough Said," billed as Aaliyah featuring Drake, was released.

Timbaland told Martinez that he had not heard the song in full and, when the Hot 97 host offered to play it for him, he declined.

Drake first hinted at an upcoming Aaliyah project during an interview with Tim Westwood in March. “I have some great Aaliyah news coming soon,” Drake told Westwood, adding, “You know it’s hard for me to ride around to a female singer because at the end of the day, you’re a man, but she always kept it so G with the writing and the melodies. It was something to ride to, especially when it was chopped and screwed. That’s when I used to love.”

It's one thing to live for years undetected with a fortune of $12.7 billion. It's another to do it as the 77-year old daughter-in-law of the late, pneumatic, reality-TV phenomenon Anna Nicole Smith.

As to how a 77-year-old could be the "daughter" of someone who, if she were alive today, would be 44, is a question we'll get to in a minute.

As for how the 4th richest woman in the United States—whose $12.7 billion puts her behind only three other women--could have escaped detection until now by billionaire-hunters, Peter Newcomb, editor in charge of the Americas for Bloomberg News's Billionaire Index, has an explanation.

"She's extremely low-key," he says.

Elaine Tettemer Marshall is not the kind of woman given to dancing on tables, buying Hawaiian islands or throwing her underwear out of cars. Both before and after the 2006 death of her husband, E. Pierce Marshall, she apparently has led a circumspect and quiet life.

Newcomb tells ABC News he and his Bloomberg colleague Matthew Miller stumbled on her fortune only after they got to wondering one day who owned the minority stake in Wichita's Koch Industries, second-largest closely-held company in the U.S.

The majority owners are the Koch brothers, Charles and David, famous (or infamous, depending on your politics) for bankrolling conservative causes. Though the brothers own most of the fabulously profitable company (whose sales Bloomberg puts at $110 billion a year), they do not own it all. Some 15 percent belonged to E. Pierce Marshall. And this share, after his death, passed to Elaine.

Her estimated worth of $12.7 billion, says Newcomb, puts Elaine behind two Walmart heiresses, Alice and Christy Walton; and candy company beneficiary Jacqueline Mars.

Bloomberg says that the ability of Elaine and Piece Marshall to avoid publicity contrasted sharply with the ability of Pierce's father, J. Howard Marshall, to attract it. He never did that better than in 1994, when, at the age of 89, he wed former stripper and Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith, 26, at the time. As J. Howard's wife, she became Elaine's mother-in-law.

Years of legal wrangling between Smith and the Marshall family followed J. Howard's death in 1995, the upshot of which was that Smith never inherited a cent of the family fortune, says Bloomberg.

A representative for Elaine Marshall, who lives in Dallas, declined to comment on Bloomberg's revelation of her wealth, beyond saying that Mrs. Marshall does not own any Koch stock in her own name.

Bloomberg started its Billionaire Index in March with a ranking of 20 wealthy individuals. Updated daily, it since has grown to include 100. Make that 100-and-one.

Mitt Romney on Tuesday didn't back away from remarks he made in a secretly recorded video casting supporters of President Barack Obama as dependent on welfare, and instead said the comments that generated more problems for him in a tight race were an honest reflection of his campaign's message.

"This is a message I'm carrying day and day out and will carry over the coming months," Romney said on Fox News. "This is a decision about the course of America, where we're going to head. We've seen the president's policies play out over the last four years."

Romney cited an opposition research video that Republicans began circulating on Tuesday afternoon that shows Obama speaking at Loyola University in 1998 about making government more effective.

"I think the trick is how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution, because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level, to make sure that everybody's got a shot," Obama is heard saying.
Obama responds to Romney's 47% comment
Strickland on Romney leak: 'Deep chasm'
Who are the 47%?
Romney camp responds to fundraiser video

In his interview Tuesday, Romney framed Obama's remarks as an endorsement of redistributing private wealth, rather than on making sure government agencies were well supported.

"The president's view is one of larger government," Romney said. "There's a tape that came out today where the president's saying he likes redistribution. I disagree. I think a society based upon a government centered nation where government plays a larger and larger role, redistributes money, that's the wrong course for America, that will not build a stronger America, or help people out of poverty."

Republicans have used the issue against Obama in the past.

Romney's charged comments at a May fund-raising event were recorded with a hidden camera. The video shows him telling his donors that nearly half of Americans back Obama because they rely on government support.

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney says in one clip first posted on Monday afternoon. "There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing."

The fund-raiser video was the latest in what has been a shaky stretch for the Romney campaign following last month's political conventions and as the candidates hurtle toward three presidential debates next month.

Summer's cooling off, but Kanye West's passion project has finally arrived. Cruel Summer, the G.O.O.D. Music compilation album, hit stores Tuesday.

There are 22 artists featured on the disc -- a veritable "something for everyone." Hip-hop heads were amped when Wu-Tang giants Raekwon and Ghostface first appeared on the Cruel Summer tracklists floating around the internet, and Top-40 fans are sure to be pleased by the inclusion of buzzy young stars like Big Sean and genre mainstays like Jay-Z.

It's inspiring to see West continue to highlight those who supported him: Grammy-winning songwriter Malik Yusef (one of the folks behind "All of the Lights") and young vocalist Teyana Taylor (you've unknowingly heard her on "Dark Fantasy" and "Hell of a Life") are also featured on Cruel Summer. It's a narrative not often seen in the media -- where lazy tales of Kanye's sometimes erratic behavior dominate headlines for weeks -- but it's clear to anyone paying attention to music that West not only cares deeply about production quality, but about those around him.

In many ways, Cruel Summer is a departure from both My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West's latest solo effort, and Watch the Throne, the album he shared with Jay-Z. MBDTF was all emotion -- tales of aching loneliness and frustration with one's self. The Throne was at once the announcement of and an investigation into a new black elite, of what it means to be successful when you started out like Jay-Z or act like Kanye West. However, the singles released in the build-up to Cruel Summer release teased a wild, irreverent Kanye; the inclusion of Southern trap rapper 2 Chainz and the constant mention of Kim Kardashian's exes -- when mixed with equally brash production from the likes of Hit-Boy -- heralded a party album. Early tracks off Cruel Summer were the stuff of nightclub sing-alongs.

As it turns out, that's certainly what we're presented with here. Many parts of Cruel Summer can be described as violent shrugs. The album begins with R. Kelly crooning about presenting the world with one's middle finger.

Still, Kanye's interest in relationships reveals itself. It's no wonder that Jay-Z, the most famous big brother in West's life, appears on "Clique" -- a song about friendship. Nor is it surprising that on that same track, West reveals perhaps his most intimate secret: that he had suicidal thoughts when his mother, Donda West, passed.

Christina Aguilera shows off her body in the music video for her new song "Your Body."

The singer debuted a teaser clip of the music video for "Your Body" on her official VEVO channel. In the video, Aguilera transforms into a sexy hitchhiker bedecked in candy colors.

Aguilera can be seen donning skin-tight dresses, fishnet tights, corset tops and sky-high stiletto heels in the music video trailer as she croons, "All I wanna do is love your body / Oooooh ooooh oooooh oooooooh /Tonight’s your lucky night, I know you want it /Oooooh ooooh oooooh oooooooh."

She seduces a convenience store clerk and blows up a car, all in day's work.

“I got to keep things a little exciting, enticing, fun, and got to get you guessing," Aguilera told Ryan Seacrest about the music video during an interview on KIIS FM. "I’m so excited to release it. I’m actually in the finishing touches of the editing process right now. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, very playful, it’s very fun. It’s kind of comedic in a way…I’m kind of playing this character it’s very much like a character outside of myself. It’s just fun, it’s like a little mini movie. I don’t want to give too much away!”

The 31-year-old singer shot the "Your Body" video with director Melina Matsoukas in August, according to MTV News.

If Aguilera's "Your Body" artwork was any indication, everyone should've seen a sexy music video coming. Aguilera poses nearly nude, with her body wrapped in only a sheer pink fabric.

She has offered up some information for fans about her upcoming album, Lotus, due out in November.

"Album title: Lotus. Representing an unbreakable flower that survives under the hardest conditions and still thrives," Aguilera tweeted to fans last week, "There will be a 'Lotus' intro to set the tone for the whole record. Conceptually I didn't target one particular sound/genre. Self expression and freedom [are album themes]. The album represents a rebirth for me."

This is the pop singer's first album release since 2010's Bionic. "Everything has personal meaning [on the album]," she told Seacrest. "There's a song specifically dedicated to my fans called 'Sing For Me' that I know they're going to appreciate," she said. "There's a few great ballads. Collaborating with Sia again on a song called 'Blank Page'."

Aguilera will have more time to dedicate to her own music after announcing that she will take a hiatus from her job as a coach on NBC's "The Voice" in the spring. Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green will be taking a break and will be replaced by Usher and Shakira.

"Being a coach on The Voice is a wonderful experience and the relationship amongst us all is like an extended family," Aguilera said, according to USA Today. "As I have expressed since day one of the show, that I am a singer and performer first and I am so excited to get back to that love. Since this year NBC and The Voice have decided to tape back-to-back seasons, requiring a full-year commitment, it is important for me to take Season 4 off, allowing me to support my music that my fans have been waiting for."

- Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner was jailed on charges of drunken driving and speeding early Tuesday, just hours after he scored a touchdown in the team's win over the Denver Broncos.

Turner
Turner

Turner, 30, of Suwanee, Ga., was booked into the Gwinnett County jail in metro Atlanta just after 5 a.m. Turner spent barely two hours behind bars before he was released on $2,179 bond, jail records show.

A Gwinnett County police officer pulled over Turner's black Audi R8 on Interstate 85 northeast of Atlanta after clocking the car's speed at 97 mph -- 32 mph over the speed limit, said Cpl. Edwin Ritter, a police spokesman.

"The officer made contact with the driver who identified himself as 30-year-old Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons," Ritter said in a news release. "The officer could smell an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver and proceeded to conduct a DUI investigation."

Ritter said the officer arrested Turner after a field sobriety test. The police incident report was not immediately available.

Hours before his arrest, Turner and the Falcons celebrated a 27-21 home victory over Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Turner scored the Falcons' first touchdown after jumping over a pileup of Atlanta and Denver linemen in the first quarter. It was Turner's franchise-record 51st touchdown for the Falcons, a team he joined in 2008 after four seasons with the San Diego Chargers. Last year, Turner rushed for 1,340 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Falcons said in a statement that they are "aware of the situation" and are "gathering more information" on the incident.

"Because this is now a legal matter, the club will have no further comment at this time," the team said.

A 19-year-old New Jersey man will appear in court Monday after being charged with shaking his girlfriend's baby to death, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.

Daquan Davis is charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police say Davis was caring for the 6-month-old infant Friday morning at School House Apartments on North Martin Luther King Boulevard in Atlantic City, N.J., while the child’s mother was at work.

Police say when she returned home around 4 a.m., she found her son unresponsive and called police. The baby was pronounced dead. Investigators believe Davis shook the baby, causing his death.

In an NBC10 exclusive interview, the child’s mother, Ebony Stewart, described the horrific discovery she made when she returned home.

“I noticed my son wasn’t breathing. I looked closer and he wasn’t breathing. His face was purple and frozen cold.”

Stewart said Davis acted as if nothing had happened.

“He sat there saying, 'Everything will be alright …We’re in this together … I know you’re hurting. I am here for you,'" Stewart said.

One of the woman's neighbors appeared rattled by the news: "I live in this building, and that same little baby, just two weeks ago, I told the mom how cute the baby was. And just to hear this, right now, I don't know what to think, I really don't,” Lloyd Phillips told NBC's Atlantic City affiliate.

Seven people have been arrested and warrants were issued for two others in a lottery scam that targeted elderly people across the United States, NBCConnecticut.com reported.

Police in Stamford, Conn., have so far identified 31 victims from across the United States, mostly between 80 and 90 years old. Police have documented losses in excess of $165,000.

Police said the ring, based in Fairfield County, contacted victims by telephone or letter, telling them that they had won a prize, police said.

Before collecting any supposed winnings, the victims were told that they would have to pay taxes or fees and send money through Western Union or U.S. Postal Service money orders.

The money was then transferred to Costa Rica.

Victims who did send the money received additional phone calls telling them there was an issue and that they would need to send even more money before they could receive their prize.

The calls continue until the victim ran out of money or realized that he or she had been scammed, police said.


Police said they have obtained nine arrest warrants.

Police have arrested Tiffany Midgette, 32, of Stamford, Kinika Harvey, 28, of Bridgeport, and Stephanie Handy, 35, of Stamford.

They were charged with racketeering, money laundering in the third degree, larceny in the first degree, second-degree larceny, conspiracy at larceny in the first degree, conspiracy at larceny in the second degree and criminal attempt at larceny in the second degree.

Bond for Midgette and Harvey was set at $150,000, while bond for Handy was set at $125,000.

Kimberly Midgette, 31, of Stamford, Rannisha Fullmore, 27, of Stamford, Keneeta Washington, 30, of Stamford, and Aisha Jones, 27, of Stamford, were charged with larceny in the first degree, larceny in the second degree, money laundering in the third degree, conspiracy at larceny in the first degree and conspiracy at larceny in the second degree.

Being the only woman not a family member to ever record a duet with Michael Jackson (Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin all turned down such opportunity) may be the most notable distinction of the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Siedah Garrett.

She did so with her 1987 #1 Billboard hit “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” but it certainly is not the only one. Since being discovered by the legendary producer/band leader Quincy Jones in 1983, Garrett has also managed to become the only Black female in Academy Award history to be nominated twice for Original Song written for a Motion Picture for “Real In Rio” – 2011 film “Rio” and “Love You, I Do,” from the 2006 film “Dreamgirls.” (For the latter Garrett won a Grammy Award.)

She is also the only female to write a #1 song recorded by Michael Jackson with “Man In The Mirror.” Many have felt that Siedah’s successful association with the King of Pop on two single hits on MJ’s record-breaking “Bad” album in 1985 may have been too much for any artist to come out of Jackson’s shadow and launch a solo career. Too much expectation may have been there for Garrett to transition into stardom, even on her own highly rated merits.

Siedah Garrett and Michael Jackson in the 1980s

Though Garrett has had other hits on a duet with Dennis Edwards (Temptations) in 1984 with “Don’t Look Any Further” and success with The Brand New Heavies (briefly replacing N’dea Davenport) on their 1997 “Shelter” album, over her almost 30 years in the recording industry, Garrett has only released two solo albums to date, “Kiss of Life” in 1988 and “Siedah” in 2003, both mild successes.

But that statistic will soon change with the upcoming October release of Siedah’s third solo project “The Answer’s Always Love” leading with its first single “Keep On Loving You,” a tribute to Jackson, in mid-September. Garrett has explained that “Keep On Loving You” is her way to publicly and musically pay homage and respect to and show love for Michael.

The single’s release comes just prior to a number of Michael Jackson-related projects: on September 18th comes the release of Michael Jackson’s “Bad 25,” which celebrates the original groundbreaking album’s silver anniversary; then later in the fall comes the corresponding Jackson behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of “Bad” directed by Spike Lee.

Garrett has recently had opportunity to share her personal and professional experiences with Jackson at two breakfast events held in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. In New York, Siedah met with members of Michael’s Official Fan Club, and in Los Angeles she held her own MJ breakfast at Westlake Recording Studio where their duet was recorded with the audience of their mutual fans. The latter event also gave fans an opportunity to first hear the final edit of “Keep On Loving You” prior to its release.

When Walter Samaszko Jr. died at his home in Carson City, Nev., he had $200 in a bank account. But as officials later discovered, Samaszko had about $7 million stored neatly around his home, the Nevada Appeal reported.

In late June, neighbors called authorities because of a smell emanating from Samaszko’s home. He was a recluse who had told them he hated the government and feared getting shots, but still, it had been a while since they had seen him, according to the Appeal.

According to the coroner, Samaszko, 69, had been dead for at least a month. He died of heart problems, the Las Vegas Sun reported.

In came the cleanup crews, which discovered boxes of gold in the garage.

“At that point, we took the house apart,” said Carson City clerk-recorder Alan Glover.

They found gold coins and bullion, tiny dos-pesos, $20 gold pieces, Austrian ducats, Kruggerrands and English Sovereigns dating  to the 1840s – enough gold to fill two wheelbarrows.

Samaszko and his mother had lived in the three-bedroom home since the 1970s, which is around the time they started collecting gold. Glover told the Appeal that the two kept detailed records of the gold they had purchased.


As for who can lay claim to the riches -- Glover said the Internal Revenue Service will take a sizable amount in taxes -- about $750,000 -- and that the rest will likely go to a first cousin, a substitute teacher in San Rafael, Calif., who is Samaszko's only relative as far as authorities can tell.

The Las Vegas Sun reported that Glover's office found her using a list of people who had attended Samaszko's mother's funeral.

Jeffrey Toobin's latest book portrays Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as increasingly cranky and partisan — and infuriated with Chief Justice John Roberts over the court's recent decisions on healthcare and immigration.

Toobin, who writes for The New Yorker and also covers the court for CNN, credits Scalia for a sea change in how both sides of the political spectrum think about the law. But he says the justice's bombast has become off-putting to more even-tempered colleagues.

Toobin's latest book, "The Oath," chronicling the Roberts court and the Obama presidency, is being released today. Here are 5 key takeaways:

Scalia 'furious' over healthcare and immigration

The book confirms previous reports that Roberts changed his vote in the landmark case over President Obama's healthcare law after initially siding with the conservative justices. But Toobin reports — as others have implied — that what pushed Roberts away was the conservative justices' insistence on striking down the entire health law.

"Scalia's view of the justices as gladiators against the president unnerved Roberts," Toobin writes.

The book describes Scalia as "furious" and "enraged" at Roberts — contradicting Scalia's public statements brushing aside any tensions.

Toobin's book says Scalia has become fixated more on politics — and particularly on Obama — than on legal scholarship, saying frustration over the healthcare ruling helped fuel his acerbic statement dissenting from the court's decision on Arizona's immigration law.

"Scalia was indeed unhappy with the immigration decision, but the splenetic excess of his Arizona opinion owed far more to his failure (as yet unknown to the public) in the health care case," the book says.

White House didn't consider State of the Union fallout

Republicans criticized President Obama for disagreeing with the Citizens United ruling in his 2010 State of the Union address. But no one in the White House had even considered the risk of publicly disagreeing with the court.

"During the discussions in Emanuel's office, as well as the president's own prep sessions, the propriety of challenging the Supreme Court had never come up," Toobin writes. "The group was so focused on pushing Obama's agenda that the issue of the justices' presence seems not to have occurred to anyone. The administration's anger about Citizens United was such that (even though no one said this specifically) the Obama team simply regarded the Supreme Court majority as another group of Republicans, deserving no greater deference than GOP senators or congressmen."

In the media this week were several pairs of breasts belonging to the famous and the now infamous-- Adrienne, Kate, Rihanna, Kris-- as if each set was as important as all other critical breaking news on the globe. Apparently in the triage deadline discussions of newsworthiness, these functional, admirable assets of the female physiology trumped all and became suddenly noteworthy when bared, utilized, tattooed or discussed.

It seems the editors across the globe proclaimed, "Go with the boobs!"

In many cases editors decided these women's breasts deserved more coverage -- OK, pun intended -- than the fallout from an irresponsible video leading to widespread violence in Libya and beyond, the upcoming election fight or the Federal Reserve's new economic stimulus plans.

Get a grip. Or, more importantly, let's loosen the grip on our cultural breast obsession. Enough with the boobs.

Adrienne Pine of American University, stirred controversy by soothing a sick toddler during an anthropology lecture by breastfeeding in class. I reserve judgment since I believe mother on mother conflict is a reprehensible habit and one that creates a war on mothers, between mothers and about mothers.

But to the point, I am a university assistant professor and single mother as well. And though I began teaching at Northwestern University when my sons were seven, five, and two (past my personal breastfeeding limits of six to nine months of age per child), I understand completely the panic of a sick child, a canceled babysitter and a classroom of eager students expecting you to teach.

You do the best you can in the circumstances. You make snap decisions in emergencies. And you can't please all parties. I am more modest than Ms. Pine and when circumstance forced me to breastfeed in inconvenient situations -- on an airplane, in a restaurant or a bathroom stall - -I took the blanket approach and completely shrouded half my body and most all of my child's no matter what. But that was also more than 20 years ago and none of us were so liberated.

So if I was in her position, I would have offered my child a bottle or a pacifier. If that didn't work, I likely would have handed out the syllabus, lectured on key points and apologized for having to take a 10-minute break. During that break I would have offered a brief assignment -- write down your key questions or goals for the course in my absence -- and returned to a discussion.

Certainly, I applaud her transparency, candor and humanity. And in her defense, her audience is not small children; they are college students who are most likely all 18 and older, who can vote, smoke cigarettes and go to war. They also have likely watched more bare breasts in television, movies, Girls Gone Wild videos, or real-life spring breaks than could ever be offered from a harried single mother professor at the podium. And I get it that Professor Pine recoiled at the notion of the campus newspaper trying to make her predicament salacious news. On that point, I emailed her my support.

I understand her dilemma -- because as a working mother you are constantly weighing the need to be a good mother and a good professional -- juggling not just plates in the air, but butcher knives in flames.

Her breasts do not need to make news.

In a new book reviewed this week, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, author and historian Florence Williams takes an environmental, scientific, historic and cultural view of breasts. Her book is a decidedly more intelligent, insightful and meaningful look at the female body than Naomi Wolf dares in her tell-all orgasm tome, Vagina: A New Biography. Williams writes, "Perhaps not surprisingly, breasts have often eluded clearheaded thinking."

Jeffrey MacDonald, a clean-cut Green Beret and doctor convicted of killing of his pregnant wife and their two daughters, is getting another chance to try proving his innocence -- more than four decades after the nation was gripped by his tales of Charles Manson-like hippies doped up on acid slaughtering his family.

The case now hinges on something that wasn't available when he was first put on trial: DNA evidence. A federal judge planned to hold a hearing Monday to consider new DNA evidence and witness testimony that MacDonald and his supporters say will finally clear him of a crime that became the basis of Joe McGinniss' best-selling book "Fatal Vision" and a made-for-TV drama.

It's the latest twist in a case that has been the subject of military and civilian courts, intense legal wrangling and shifting alliances.

"This is Jeff's opportunity to be back in court almost 33 years to the day of his conviction," said Kathryn MacDonald, who married him a decade ago while he has been in prison.

MacDonald, now 68 and not eligible for parole until 2020, has never wavered from his claim that he didn't kill his pregnant wife, Colette, and their two daughters, 5-year-old Kimberley and 2-year-old Kristen. He has maintained that he awoke on their sofa in their home at Fort Bragg in the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 1970, as they were being attacked by three men and a woman.

In an October 2000 letter MacDonald wrote to Kathryn MacDonald, provided by her to The Associated Press, he wrote: "It would be a dishonor to their memory to compromise the truth and `admit' to something I didn't do -- no matter how long it takes."

The gruesome stabbing and beating deaths came just three months after the Manson Family slayings in California were revealed. The pregnant wife and MacDonald's description of the woman attacker chanting "acid is groovy, kill the pigs" all fed into fears that Manson-type killers were on the loose in North Carolina. The word "pig" was written in blood on a headboard -- the same word that was written on the door of pregnant Manson victim Sharon Tate's house in Los Angeles.

The Army charged the Ivy League-educated MacDonald with murder, then dropped the charges months later after an Article 32 hearing. By December 1970, MacDonald was not just a free man but also had received an honorable discharge.

But his father-in-law, Alfred Kassab, who initially believed in his innocence, changed his mind and eventually persuaded prosecutors to pursue the case in civilian court. In 1979, MacDonald was charged, convicted and sentenced to life in prison, a sentence he now serves at the federal prison in Cumberland, Md.

MacDonald has stood by his innocence claim so strongly that he refused to apply for parole for years, and when he did, he refused to acknowledge any guilt and was rejected. MacDonald and his supporters have continued to pursue legal avenues over the years to try to clear his name.

U.S. District Court Judge James Fox will consider two types of evidence: three hairs that don't match the family's DNA and a statement from Jimmy Britt, a deputy U.S. marshal when the case was tried. Britt, who has since died, gave a statement to defense attorneys in 2005 that he heard prosecutor Jim Blackburn threaten Helena Stoeckley, a troubled local woman whom MacDonald had identified as one of the attackers.

A previous MacDonald attorney has said Stoeckley was prepared to testify she was in the MacDonald home the night of the murders until Blackburn threatened to charge her with the slayings. She later testified she couldn't remember where she was that night.

A real-life exorcist in Colombia has boasted that demand is so high for his services that he performs ten services a week.

 It could be the melodramatic staging offered by Hermes Cifuentes, a Catholic priest, that is creating such demand.

Those claiming to be possessed by the Devil are smeared in dirt and surrounded by fire, limes and eggs. Dressed in white, they lie on the ground blindfolded surrounded by crucifixes and a ring of fire. For good measure their skin is smeared with mud.

They lie between strips of green and white ribbon as Father Hermes chases the spirits away.

The white-robed Father Hemes, 51, said he now performs ten a week in La Cumbre and has carried out a total of 35,000 over the past two decades.

Jennifer Lopez stopped by "Katie" on Friday to chat about her recent divorce and 25-year-old boyfriend, Casper Smart.

Lopez, 43, dished on her and Smart's 18-year age difference with host Katie Couric, who also famously dated a much younger man -- Brooks Perlin, who is 17 years Couric's junior.

"It’s hard for me to think of my age," Lopez said. "I feel very youthful. And I feel very comfortable in my own skin. And it’s funny, until somebody brings it up, I don’t think we really think about it."

The former "American Idol" judge revealed that she feels "lucky" that Smart -- who is also her backup dancer and choreographer -- came into her life.

"We’re enjoying each other’s company and he’s a great support system and he’s great at what he does," she said.

Rumors of their relationship surfaced in November 2011 when Smart was spotted leaving Lopez's New York City hotel. The pair broke their silence about the relationship in a July 2012 interview on "Good Morning America."

Lopez also opened up to Couric about her divorce from estranged husband Marc Anthony, whom she split from in July 2011.

"It was really tough decision to make, and one that in your heart, is always just going to affect you," she said. "You never want to break up a family. That wasn’t my dream. My dream was for us to always be together. But things don’t work out and you feel like it’s the better choice. If I didn’t feel it was the better choice then I wouldn’t have done it. But we’re doing good with it."

Despite Lopez's three failed attempts at marriage, the songstress has said that she would walk down the aisle again. She's not the only celeb to still believe in love, having experienced divorce. Click through the slideshow below for six others:

 Camels were first introduced to Australia during the 19th century and used as transport for exploration and to assist construction of rail and telegraph lines.

Tens of thousands were released in the 1930s when vehicle transport became more common and the wild population had soared to an estimated half a million by 2004.

"Over 100,000 feral camels have been removed from the Australian landscape through the project and the current rate of feral camel removal is around 75,000 per year, which is reducing the overall population and lowering their density around priority environmental sites," said Jan Ferguson, who is managing the project.

The Australian feral camel is capable of covering 70km in a day. In 2009, the damage and control costs of feral camels was estimated at over A$10 million ($10.45 million) a year.

Some landowners have raised concerns over the cull, in which the animals have been shot. They said the camels were suffering unnecessarily and bemoaned the waste of the meat, much of which is left to rot.

Ferguson said that the project did not intend to eradicate feral camels completely from outback Australia.

"Our aim is to commence managing their population to acceptable levels – and we are on track to achieve this goal," she added.

Source: agencies

President Obama and his re-election team marked the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks and events related to the killing of four Americans abroad that day with a slate of official and somber events. But they also took to Twitter for some campaign business on both days.

"The election is in eight weeks. Sign up to volunteer," reads the first tweet, on Wednesday, the 11th anniversary of the deadly attacks, from @BarackObama.

The tweet went out at 7:07 a.m. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama then appeared on the White House South Lawn and bowed their heads at 8:46 a.m. --  the exact time the first hijacked plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The event was followed by the president and first lady laying a wreath at the Pentagon, where the third plane struck.

The Obama campaign declined to comment Saturday for this story.

The second tweet, about a sale of Obama apparel, was posted Friday, about 30 minutes before Obama arrived at Andrews Air Force Base to welcome home the bodies of the four Americans – including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens -- killed at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

"You would expect nothing less from a president whose priorities have been misplaced ever since he came to office," Paul Lindsay, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Saturday.

The second tweet read: "Winter is coming, but these sweatshirts are perfect for fall."

Do people no longer have the right to a private life once they become famous? Fans and detractors alike apparently have a limitless appetite for dirt on any kind of celebrity from movie stars to "real" housewives to presidents. But that doesn't mean the incessant buzz of paparazzi hovering over their every move, like flies on a wounded animal, is ethical.

On Friday, the French magazine Closer released topless pictures of Kate Middleton and both the royal family and 10 Downing Street (the office of the prime minister) are accusing the media of "having crossed a red line." Moreover, they have pointed out, the incident is doubly painful because of the late Princess Diana's tortured relationship with the press, which ended in her death in a high-speed car crash while being chased by photographers. "The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales," reads the official statement out of St. James Palace, "and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so." The statement also called the publication of the photos "grotesque" and "unjustifiable."


The images were taken while Prince William and Kate were sunbathing on vacation in France at a chateau owned by Lord Linley, the Queen's nephew.

When Lady Diana Spencer became engaged to Prince Charles in 1981, she was a shy 20-year-old kindergarten teacher. Immediately thrust into the spotlight, she later said that dealing with the press was the greatest challenge of being a part of the royal family. "The most daunting aspect was the media attention, because my husband and I, we were told when we got engaged that the media would go quietly, and it didn't," she told BBC reporter Martin Bashir in 1995, "and then when we were married they said it would go quietly and it didn't; and then it started to focus very much on me, and I seemed to be on the front of a newspaper every single day, which is an isolating experience, and the higher the media put you, place you, is the bigger the drop." In the same interview, she suggests that the constant scrutiny, especially after she suffered from a bout of post-natal depression and was labeled "unstable," battered her self-esteem. Her confidence low, she admits she resorted to self-harm (which she calls "hurting my arms and legs") and bulimia as an escape.

The Independent UK reports the Royal Highnesses reacted to the publication of the revealing Kate photos with "anger and disbelief" and were "hugely saddened." Still, they proceeded with their duties on an official tour of Southeast Asia. In stark contrast to the photo fracas, Middleton donned a modest pearl grey dress and veil when she attended a public ceremony at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and comported herself with mind boggling poise given the controversy. According to Sky News, the future Queen of England chatted with her husband and warmly greeted the gathered crowds. 

An armada of US and British naval power is massing in the Persian Gulf in the belief that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s covert nuclear weapons programme.

 Battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the brink of war.

Western leaders are convinced that Iran will retaliate to any attack by attempting to mine or blockade the shipping lane through which passes around 18 million barrels of oil every day, approximately 35 per cent of the world’s petroleum traded by sea.

A blockade would have a catastrophic effect on the fragile economies of Britain, Europe the United States and Japan, all of which rely heavily on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most congested international waterways. It is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point and is bordered by the Iranian coast to the north and the United Arab Emirates to the south.

In preparation for any pre-emptive or retaliatory action by Iran, warships from more than 25 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will today begin an annual 12-day exercise.

The war games are the largest ever undertaken in the region.

They will practise tactics in how to breach an Iranian blockade of the strait and the force will also undertake counter-mining drills.

The multi-national naval force in the Gulf includes three US Nimitz class carrier groups, each of which has more aircraft than the entire complement of the Iranian air force.

The carriers are supported by at least 12 battleships, including ballistic missile cruisers, frigates, destroyers and assault ships carrying thousand of US Marines and special forces.

The British component consists of four British minesweepers and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Cardigan Bay, a logistics vessel. HMS Diamond, a brand-new £1billion Type 45 destroyer, one of the most powerful ships in the British fleet, will also be operating in the region.

In addition, commanders will also simulate destroying Iranian combat jets, ships and coastal missile batteries.

Amanda Bynes has been making headlines recently for her dangerous driving habits, and now her erratic behavior has people worried that something might be seriously wrong with the actress.

According to TMZ, one of Byne's neighbors has spotted her "having long conversations with inanimate objects," while other witnesses at her gym have seen her talking to herself and "laughing hysterically for no reason" while working out.

The concern over Bynes' mental health follows several car incidents she's been involved in over the past few months. She has been charged with two hit-and-runs as well as a misdemeanor DUI, and her license has been suspended, though that doesn't seem to have stopped her from driving or allegedly smoking a suspicious substance in her car.

According to E! Online, Bynes' next court date is set for Sept. 21 for her misdemeanor DUI charge, and she'll appear in court again on Sept. 27 for her hit-and-run charges.

You may think that the Lingerie Football League is all about exploitation and silliness, and well ... yes it is. Let's not fool ourselves. But these ladies do love themselves some football, and if you think they don't take it seriously when they're in the arena, I give you this wallop laid by one Nikki Johnson of the Regina Rage.

I'm not sure what the formation is here, but it's a standard quarterback option, and Ms. Johnson would not be denied. Veering around the left side in the direction of the end zone, Johnson took out defender Davine Burton of the Toronto Triumph to score with a hit that Cam Newton would be proud of -- if Cam Newton ran over scantily-clad women on an indoor football field. And we're not suggesting that he would.

Ms. Johnson is quite the passer in her league -- through five games in the 2012 season, she's completed 41 of 73 passes for 384 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception. Her hero is Peyton Manning (at least that's what her Facebook page said when she played for the Las Vegas Sin), but we doubt that Peyton could put a crusher on Darrelle Revis like Johnson did on Burton.

And for that, Ms. Johnson, we salute you.

Amy Adams has received some of the best reviews of her career for playing Peggy Dodd in "The Master." Or is she playing Mary Sue Dodd?

Over the last few months, Adams' character in "The Master" -- Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, which was partially inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard -- has often been referred to as Mary Sue. In April, the New York Times noted that both Hubbard and Philip Seymour Hoffman's character in the film, Lancaster Dodd, had wives named Mary Sue. After Anderson screened "The Master" for Tom Cruise in May (something the director later confirmed), HuffPost Entertainment wrote a post calling Adams by that name as well. Early reviews of "The Master" in The Hollywood Reporter and Movie City News also referred to Adams' character as Mary Sue, as did Reuters coverage of a press conference for the film held at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month.

However with "The Master" out on Friday, numerous critics are calling Adams' character by the name Peggy -- even A.O. Scott in the New York Times.

Meanwhile, both Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia list Adams' character as Mary Sue and Peggy. (IMDb has her listed as just Peggy, as do production notes for "The Master.")

Why is there such confusion about the name of Adams' character? It could trace back to a script review of "The Master" posted by The Playlist in 2010. The site noted that Lancaster's wife was called Mary Sue in the original Anderson screenplay, though how much of that script wound up being used in the version of "The Master" in theaters now is unclear.

HuffPost Entertainment reached out to The Weinstein Company to confirm the name of Adams' character. Per the studio, it is Peggy Dodd.

Divorce is hard no matter how it transpires. But just like leaving one job and starting another, the downtime between ending a marriage and seeking a new person is the perfect time to regroup, refresh and reevaluate. It is a rare and wonderful occurrence when we have the opportunity to objectively look at ourselves and decipher where we are, who we are and what we want going forward.

Besides looking at your career, living situation, goals, dreams and desires, one thing that should be looked at that can have a profound impact on all of the elements of your new life is your personal style.

As you reenter the dating scene, your style is going to brand you and make a very strong impression. How you show up for a date will not only telegraph visual clues about who you are, but may even impact how the date goes and influence whether or not there is a second one.

Let me relay the cautionary tale of Brenda. Vivacious, gorgeous and smart, Brenda both married and divorced young. One afternoon post-divorce, we enjoyed lunch at her apartment. Over dessert, she shared that she was off shortly to a blind coffee date. I was thrilled for her until she disappeared into the other room and appeared in what was intended to be her date outfit. Brenda had replaced her cute cotton sundress with a pair of ill-fitting jeans, a faded t-shirt and scuffed boots. It also looked as if she had removed much of her make-up. I think my stare said it all. She looked down and said, "I don't want it to look like I am trying too hard." She wore this ensemble on her date. Needless to say, even though she was interested, there was never a second date. Perhaps there was nothing in common. But perhaps her date was turned off by the bizarre, disheveled ensemble she chose to wear for her unveiling and his first impression. I can not help but wonder if he was the guy for her and her style choice was the reason she didn't land a second date.

We are a visual society, and the first impression others have of you at a job interview, party or first date is purely visual. If you are thinking, "But I want people to like me for me, not for the way I dress," you are greatly limiting yourself. Why not be the big brain who is also attractive and well put together? A date's first impression is always going to be visual.

Before I divulge what you should wear on your first post-divorce date, I am going to ask you to do a little style check. Ask yourself if the clothes on your body reflect who you are today -- not a year ago, but right now. Do the words that you would use to describe the clothes in your closet also accurately describe your personality? Is what you choose to wear really flattering, or is it something that worked a long time ago and you have not bothered to change the formula? Are you dressing yourself or merely covering your body? What once suited you perfectly before and during your marriage might not work for you now.

As you start to think specifically about what to wear on your first post-divorce date, the very first rule is to never wear an outfit that you wore at any point with your ex. Now is the time for creating new memories without that person. It is of the utmost importance that your first impression on a date is as an open, sexy, confident person -- someone your date would like to get to know. I suggest buying something new to celebrate this new beginning. Unlike Brenda, you need to put out a romantic vibe, so use a romantic color.

Your individual romantic color, or personal version of red, is your sexy color. The warm passionate glow from this hue gives the perfect welcoming impression on a first date with the person whom you might possibly spend the rest of your life with. Here is the way to discover yours, regardless of your skin tone:

The fury over an anti-Islam film that targeted American diplomatic missions has spread to a number of other Western facilities in the Muslim world, raising the specter Saturday of a widening protest.

Attacks on German and British embassies in Sudan, the ransacking of an American school in Tunisia, a fire at a U.S.-based fast-food restaurant in Lebanon and attacks against multi-national peacekeepers in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula were among the latest targets in protests that turned violent.

The unrest reached Australia, where hundreds of demonstrators clashed Saturday with police outside the U.S. Consulate in Sydney.

Top Western diplomats warned leaders in countries where the unrest has been most pronounced to ensure the protection of its missions and its people.

"I am following the unfolding events with grave concern and call on national authorities in all countries concerned to swiftly ensure the security of diplomatic mission and protect diplomatic staff," Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign affairs chief, said in a statement.

"It is vitally important leaders across the affected regions should call immediately for peace and restraint."

Capital cities and other cities in North Africa and the Middle East where protests against an anti-Islam film have broken out. Capital cities and other cities in North Africa and the Middle East where protests against an anti-Islam film have broken out.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took it one step further, warning that the United States would take action to protect its diplomatic facilities if the countries in question did not stop the violence and seek justice for the attacks.

"Reasonable people and responsible leaders in these countries need to do everything they can to restore security and hold accountable those behind these violent acts," she said Friday. "And we will ... keep taking steps to protect our personnel around the world."

From Morocco to Malaysia, thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets in recent days -- with sometimes deadly results -- over the release of a 14-minute trailer, privately produced in the United States, that mocks the Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and ruthless killer.

Despite the firm condemnation by U.S. government officials, some in the Muslim world -- especially those raised in regimes in which the government must authorize any film production -- cannot accept that a movie like "Innocence of Muslims" can be produced without being sanctioned by Washington, said Council of Foreign Relations scholar Ed Husain.

"They're projecting ... their experience, their understanding (that) somehow the U.S. government is responsible for the actions of a right-wing fellow," said Husain, a senior fellow at the New York think thank.

The demonstrations, notably, haven't all been violent and the protesters represent only a fraction of their respective nations' populations: A few thousands, for example, clashed with security forces outside the U.S. embassy in Cairo, in a city of more than 18 million people.

But protests that have turned violent have led to a number of deaths -- including those of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans killed in an attack Tuesday in Benghazi, Libya.

Libyan authorities said they were cooperating with a U.S. investigation into the Benghazi attack.

"Things are moving very, very well," Muhammad Alkari, spokesman for the prime minister's office, told CNN.

The FBI was expected to arrive in the country Saturday.

 An interstate bank robbery suspect nicknamed the Bucket List Bandit because he allegedly told a Utah bank teller he had only four months to live has been captured in Oklahoma, an FBI agent said Friday.

Michael Eugene Brewster, 54, was arrested Thursday night after a traffic stop in Roland, Okla., said Jason Crouse, the acting head of the FBI office in Erie, Pa. Crouse's office is investigating a robbery in the northwestern Pennsylvania city earlier this week. He wouldn't provide details of the arrest because the FBI planned a national announcement later in the day.

Erie FBI agents got a warrant for Brewster's arrest earlier Thursday for robbing the Huntingdon National Bank branch in Erie, about 120 miles north of Pittsburgh, on Monday.

A confidential informant called to give agents Brewster's name and birth date after recognizing his picture in media accounts of the robberies that began June 21 in Arvada, Colo., a Denver suburb, according to the warrant. The warrant doesn't say how the person knew that information.

A teller at the Erie bank picked Brewster's photo out of a lineup and authorities then reviewed surveillance video and found an "obvious likeness" to Brewster during nine prior robberies in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Pocatello, Idaho; Roy, Utah; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Bloomington, Ill.; Columbia and O'Fallon, Mo., and the Colorado heist. Photos from the various robberies show a man with grayish, thinning hair, generally combed or brushed backward, wearing glasses and what appears to be the same blue polo shirt with a front pocket.

Authorities have released few details of the robberies, beyond those that appear to link the heists and relate to his nickname, which derived from the July 6 robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank in Roy, Utah.

That's where the suspect allegedly told the teller, "I have four months to live," after passing her a note demanding money, Rebecca Wu of the FBI's St. Louis office told the AP after the Missouri robberies in late August.

Roy Police Sgt. Danny Hammon said police don't know the specific wording of the note because the suspect took it back. Investigators haven't said whether they've confirmed if Brewster is even terminally ill.

Online federal court records don't list an attorney for Brewster, who was expected to make an initial appearance before a federal magistrate in Oklahoma City on Friday. He was being held in the city jail in Roland in the meantime, according to Assistant Police Chief David Goode.

Crouse, the FBI agent, didn't say how authorities tracked Brewster to Oklahoma.

The warrant doesn't identify his hometown, but indicates he's wanted for borrowing a black Chevy Captiva from a woman in Pensacola, Fla. on June 11 and not returning it. The vehicle was similar to one described by witnesses at several of the robberies authorities think Brewster committed, but Crouse said the vehicle didn't figure in to how authorities tracked down Brewster.

No one has been hurt in any of the robberies and officials aren't saying how much money he's gotten away with except for the $4,080 taken from the Erie bank, which was disclosed in the FBI arrest warrant.

Heidi Klum has finally come clean about her reported relationship with bodyguard Martin Kristen.

In an episode of "Katie" that aired Wednesday, the supermodel acknowledged to host Katie Couric that she is dating Kristen -- but she stopped short of calling it a relationship.

"I don’t even know if I can call it that, you know? It just started so I don’t know. I don’t know where it’s gonna go," Klum said.

"I’ve known him for four years and he’s been with our family for the last four years," Klum continued. "He’s cared for our entire family, mostly for our four children, helped us tremendously... I trust him with my children’s life. He’s a great man, you know, and we just got to know each other from a completely different side."

Rumors of their relationship surfaced late last month when Klum was photographed getting close to Kristen while on vacation with her family in Sardinia. Seal fueled speculation by telling TMZ that he wished his ex had waited until they were separated before she decided to "fornicate with the help." His publicist later clarified that Seal did not intend to imply that Klum had cheated on him; rather, he meant that their divorce is not yet finalized so the couple is still legally married.
Klum, who split from her singer husband in January 2012, told Couric that Seal used a "unique choice of words" and denied that she cheated on him during their marriage.

"It’s not true. I’ve never looked at another man while I was with him," she said.

She also revealed that she once thought her marriage would last forever.

"I’m someone who believes in a fairy tale and when I said I do, I meant forever," she said. "But I don’t know... You never know what happens. Life changes. It’s that road with all those bumps and holes and you’re trying to struggle through them. And I don’t know…we just couldn’t make it work, you know?"

Watch the clip above for more of Klum's interview. Then, check out photos of the couple in happier times below:

A Texas woman who lost all four limbs to a flesh-eating bacteria has been approved for a double arm transplant at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital in what will be the first such procedure performed in the United States.

Katy Hayes, 44, of Kingwood, Texas, will receive two new arms above the elbow. The hospital is working with a regional organ donor bank to find a donor. The surgery has not yet been scheduled.

"I have the determination to make these arms my own," Hayes said at a news conference in Boston. "I want my life back. I want to hold my children. I want to hug my husband."

Hayes contracted a life-threatening Group A Streptococcal infection after giving birth to her third child in February 2010. She lost her large intestine and her uterus as well as her limbs.

The transplant could give Hayes the ability to flex and extend her elbows and to lift herself out of a wheelchair.

The level of function she will acquire, especially in her new hands, is uncertain, said Bohdan Pomahac, director of plastic surgery transplantation at the Brigham.

Hayes and her family moved from Texas in July to prepare for the surgery. She has been undergoing psychological and physical screening at the hospital to determine her eligibility for the grueling surgery and long recovery.

Among other things, the former massage therapist said she is looking forward to wearing her wedding ring again. "When you don't have hands, you can't wear rings," she said.

The world's first double above-the-elbow arm transplant was performed in Germany in 2008 on a farmer who had lost both limbs in a farming accident.

Brigham and Women's has done two double hand transplants in the past few years, and a few other U.S. hospitals have performed the hand surgeries.

Arm transplants are considered less difficult, technically, than hand transplants, but the recovery is more challenging and the potential nerve connections more tenuous. (Reporting By Ros Krasny)

 Google Inc rejected a request by the White House on Friday to reconsider its decision to keep online a controversial YouTube movie clip that has ignited anti-American protests in the Middle East.

The Internet company said it was censoring the video in India and Indonesia after blocking it on Wednesday in Egypt and Libya, where U.S. embassies have been stormed by protestors enraged over depiction of the Prophet Mohammad as a fraud and philanderer.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in a fiery siege on the embassy in Benghazi.

Google said was further restricting the clip to comply with local law rather than as a response to political pressure.

"We've restricted access to it in countries where it is illegal such as India and Indonesia, as well as in Libya and Egypt, given the very sensitive situations in these two countries," the company said. "This approach is entirely consistent with principles we first laid out in 2007."

White House officials had asked Google earlier on Friday to reconsider whether the video had violated YouTube's terms of service. The guidelines can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines.

Google said on Wednesday that the video was within its guidelines.

U.S. authorities said on Friday that they were investigating whether the film's producer, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a 55-year old Egyptian Coptic Christian living in Southern California, had violated terms of his prison release. Basseley was convicted in 2010 for bank fraud and released from prison on probation last June.

President Barack Obama on Saturday rejected any denigration of Islam, but insisted there was no excuse for attacks on U.S. embassies as angry protests over an obscure, anti-Muslim film spread to Australia.

"I have made it clear that the United States has a profound respect for people of all faiths," Obama said in his weekly radio address.

"Yet there is never any justification for violence .... There is no excuse for attacks on our embassies and consulates,” he added.

Anti-American protests have swept the Muslim world in response to the film, which insults the Prophet Muhammad.


The death toll as a result of violence during protests in the Middle East and North Africa Friday rose from seven to nine with Tunisian officials saying four people -- rather than two as stated earlier -- died there. Three were killed by gunfire and the other died after being hit by two police cars, a senior hospital official told Reuters.

An attack on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others this week.

A day after Obama led a somber ceremony marking the return of the bodies of the Americans killed in Libya, Obama acknowledged that a surge of anti-American violence in the Middle East is disturbing.

Suspected anti-Islam filmmaker questioned by Feds


The Pentagon is sending Marines to beef up security at the U.S. embassy in Sudan, following similar reinforcements to Libya and Yemen.

The Libyan attack and the U.S.-directed outrage have raised questions about Obama's handling of the so-called Arab Spring, a series of revolutions that have unseated entrenched authoritarian governments.

At least seven reported killed in regional protests over anti-Islamic video

The turbulence in the Middle East has had ripples in a tight U.S. presidential election, with Obama's Republican challenger Mitt Romney saying Obama has weakened U.S. authority around the world.

Twenty-three-year-old Lizzie Velasquez was born without any adipose tissue -- meaning she has no fat on her body.

As a result, she weighs just 58 pounds, even though she eats as many as 60 times a day, the Daily Mail reported. she has been the subject of cyberbullying and stares when she walks out in public, she recently revealed to Dr. Drew Pinsky on HLN.

Some cyberbullies even dubbed her the "ugliest woman in the world," because of her appearance due to her medical condition, she said.

"It's not easy, I will be the first to tell you it's not easy," Velasquez told Dr. Drew. "I may have this outer exterior of people saying, 'She can handle everything, she's dealt with this for so long,' and to be honest, I'm human and of course these things are going to hurt."

Back in 2010, The Telegraph reported that Velasquez consumes 5,000 to 8,000 calories a day -- eating food every 15 minutes. But because of the condition, the Texas State University in San Marcos student has never weighed much more than 60 pounds, she wrote in the description of her book that came out earlier this year, titled "Be Beautiful, Be You."
Velasquez's condition is extremely rare; she is just one of three people in the entire world to have it, she noted in her book description.

The Telegraph reported that doctors believe she may have something called Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome. It is a condition that leads to premature aging, but is different from the more common aging disorder, progeria, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is characterized by wrinkled skin, not much fat, a large head, a face that looks aged and visible veins in the scalp.

"I think the biggest things I have to deal with is constantly people staring at me as soon as I walk into a room," Velasquez told Dr. Drew. "Recently, it's been a lot of adults I've been having to deal with who will slowly walk in front of me and turn their heads, and look me up and down. So the stares are what I'm really dealing with in public right now."

But "instead of just sitting by and watching these people judge me, I'm starting to want to go up to these people and introduce myself, or give them my card, and say, 'Maybe you should stop staring and start learning.'"